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Appendix I: Polling Station Assessments:
Volgograd
Kazan
Yekaterinburg
Kaliningrad
Volgograd
1. Polling station A (poll opening). 7:15 a.m. -11:15 a.m.
- 12 PEC commissioners present
- in every day life commissioners are workers and teachers
- Domestic observers present: LDPR (1); CPRF (2); Unity (2); 2 representatives from candidate Ischenko; 1 representative from cand. Savenko
- Police present
- 3 voters in line at 8:00. First voter served at 8:00.
- 4 privacy booths
- All ballots pre-signed and pre-stamped. Ballots kept in a safe.
- 2180 voter on the original voter list
- Additions were made (absentee certificates taken; change of address, etc.)
- 2095 voters on the revised list.
- In an event of an absentee certificates being issued the following notes were added to the voter list («special marks» column): 1)Signature of the Commissioner who issued the absentee certificates; 2) Signature of the voter; 3)Number of the absentee certificate; 4) Date
- Voters not on the voter list but able to prove their right to vote there were allowed to cast their vote
- For voters not on the list a passport with the local authorities («ЖЭК») stamp was required before the PEC would add them to the voter list and issue a ballot
2. Polling station B (TEC). 11:30 a.m. -12:25 p.m.
- All ballots pre-signed and pre-stamped
- Attempts at family voting
- Some voters placing someone else’s ballots into the ballot box
- In case of a voter spoiling the ballot, the PEC filled out on appropriate protocol with 2 signatures and a stamp; cut left bottom corner of the spoiled ballot. Second ballot was issued to the voter.
- Some people tried to obtain ballots for other voters; not successful.
- On the average, 20 min. needed for a single voter to cast a ballot
- 22 requests for portable ballot box
- Most voters live in the area surrounding the polling site and always vote here
- Some complained how long it takes to cast a ballot
3. Polling station C. 12:40 p.m.-1:05 p.m.
- All ballots pre-signed and pre-stamped
- Passport required to be shown in order to get a ballot
- Some people tried to obtain ballots for other voters; not successful
- On the average, 20 min. needed for a single voter to cast a ballot
- 23 requests for mobile ballot boxes
- Exit polling showed that all voters generally think that everything is fine and have no complaints or suggestions
- Premises for voting are too small; hundreds of voters struggling to read and fill out their ballots
- Military voters very orderly, instructed by their superiors
- Problem with military ID’s having no appr. seal
4. Polling station D. 1:15 p.m. -1:30 p.m.
- Ballots pre-signed and pre-stamped
- Some people tried to obtain ballots for other voters; not successful
- On the average, 3 min. needed for a single voter to cast a ballot
- 16 requests for portable ballot box
- No spoiled ballots
- Orderly military detachments
5. Polling station E. 1:35 p.m.
- Ballots pre-signed and pre-stamped
- Voters conferring with each other prior to marking their ballot
- Attempts at family voting
- 3 voters have not been allowed to vote (wrong election precinct)
- 10 min. needed for each voter to cast a ballot
- 25 requests for portable ballot box (+500 to military hospital)
- Mobile boxes not properly fixed (due to the large number of ballots in the hospital it was impossible to seal the box tightly and a large opening was left on top, making it easy to add or to remove a ballot)
6. Polling station F. 2:40 p.m. -3:15 p.m.
- Ballots pre-signed and pre-stamped
- Voters conferring with each other prior to marking their ballot
- In case of a voter spoiling the ballot, the PEC filled out on appropriate protocol with 2 signatures and a stamp; cut left bottom corner of the spoiled ballot. Second ballot was issued to the voter.
- 5-7 min. needed for a single voter to cast his/her ballot
- 20 requests for mobile ballot box
- Polling site rating (1 to 10): 2
7. Polling station G. 3:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.
- Ballots signed and stamped a day before the election
- Attempts at family voting
- No spoiled ballots
- Voters received an advance notice on where and when to vote
- Polling site rating (1 to 10): 3
8. Polling station H. 3:45 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
- Ballots signed and stamped a day before the election
- Voters conferring with each other prior to marking their ballot
- Attempts at family voting
- Some people tried to obtain ballots for other voters; not successful
- 31 requests for mobile ballot box
- 900 ballots in all
- Polling site rating (1 to 10): 3
9. Polling station I. 4:30 p.m.-4:50 p.m.
- Ballots signed and stamped a day before the election
- Voters conferring with each other prior to marking their ballot
- Attempts at family voting
- 5 min. needed per voter to cast a ballot
- 30 requests for mobile boxes (+ 4 for hospitals)
- Voters received an advance notice
- Polling site rating: 4
10. Polling station J. 5 p.m.-5:15 p.m.
- Ballots signed and stamped a day before the election
- Voters conferring with each other prior to marking their ballot
- Attempts at family voting
- 2 persons was not allowed to vote (wrong credentials; wrong election precinct)
- Attempts to obtain ballots for other voters (not successful)
- 5 min. needed for single voter to cast a ballot
- 35 requests for mobile box
- No opportunity to cover all applications for mobile box
- Chairperson not adequately familiar with procedures
11. Polling station #K (poll closing and vote count). 7:00 p.m. – 6:55 a.m.
- 1 voter in line at 8:00 p.m.
- 1647 voters on the voter list
- 62 voters on the supplementary list
- Voting ended at 8:02 p.m.
- PEC voided the unused ballots by cutting the right bottom corners
- Unused ballots were stored outside the polling area in a safe
- # of unused ballots according to PEC count: 637 (S-M)+630 (FE) = 1267+ 2 (FE, spoiled)
- Ballot boxes unsealed in the presence of all commissioners and observers
- PEC members appeared to know the procedures
- The polling place appeared orderly
- Apparently, the PEC members knew how to count votes and complete the protocols
- Observers were able to stand close enough to see
- The PEC used stacking while counting the ballots
- 1669 (FE)=1676(S-M) ballots were cast
- Ballots had PEC seal and 2 signatures on them
- 28(FE)+17(S-M) invalid ballots
- Ballots containing no marks, more than one mark were declared invalid
- The protocols were completed by the PEC secretary (by pen)
- Everyone present was given a chance to record results from the protocol
- Chairperson, Deputy-Chair and secretary delivered the protocols to the TEC (6:55 a.m.)
- The commissioners appeared to know the procedures but they didn’t pay any attencion to the clauses they considered insignificant
Kazan
1. Polling station A (poll opening), 7:35 a.m.-8:30 a.m.
Precinct commission background: electrician, librarian, and receptionist. Chair – a man. Commissioners – young women.
Observers: representing candidate from local administration (Communist); independent candidate (perhaps OVR)
Polling site: two very small rooms divided by voting booths. Police present.
First voter served: 8:05. Voters in line at 8:00: 12.
Ballots stored in safe boxes. # of ballots: 14142 (RF) 1432(TR). Voters on original voter list: 1414
Voters were added to the list on the basis of propiska stamp, going door to door to verify list. For voters who had requested absentee certificates a note saying «absentee certificate issued» was added to the voter list.
2. Polling station B. 12:00 p.m.-12:30 p.m.
Passports required to be shown in order to vote.
Several observers representing CPRF, candidates from local administration and Tatarstan- New Century Movement (supporting OVR) were present. All ballots pre-signed and pre-stamped before Election Day. Police present. Persons without propiska wouldn’t be allowed to vote (never actually happened). Family voting was evident. Commissioners checked the ballots before they went into the box (in case of voting outside the polling station using the mobile ballot box). About 20 min. needed per one voter to vote.
Voters were informed on when and where to vote by activists going from door to door. In the past the polling station used to be in a different, less convenient place, so voters think all is well now and have no complaints.
3. Polling station C. 2:00 p.m.-2:40 p.m.
Voters on voter list: 248. Requests for mobile boxes: 17
Campaign materials (posters, leaflets) for OVR and local administration displayed at the entrance to a grocery store next door to the polling station.
All ballots pre-signed and pre-stamped. Some voters tried to confer with each other prior to marking their ballot but the chairman interfered. There were no spoiled ballots. During voting outside the polling station two commissioners and two observers (Communist + local administration) were present; commissioners told the voter to mark her ballot in another room; family assisted. The polling site was always located in the same place so the voters had no trouble finding out where to vote, but invitations were delivered nevertheless.
4. Polling station D. 3:10 p.m.-3:20 p.m.
No early voting. No observers present. One request for absentee certificate (vote went to Kazan to have surgery). All ballots pre-stamped and pre-signed. No spoiled ballots.3 voters out of 153 total have applied to vote outside the polling station. By 15:00 all voters have already cast ballots; voting was over. In every day life the commissioners work on a local collective farm.
5. Polling station E. 3:40 p.m. -4:30 p.m.
All ballots pre-stamped. No spoiled ballots. Some voters managed to obtain ballots for other voters. PEC Chairman failed to give any explanation. # of requests for mobile boxes: 138 according to chair; 160 according to observer from CPRF. «Activists» delivered invitations to all voters. The administration also appointed an «activist» to «help voters». She picked up ballots (without showing any ID) from a commissioner & gave them to another young woman (who apparently did not sign the ballots); the young woman went into a voting booth. The first woman explained that she gave ballots to her daughter and both she and the chairwoman said that it was irregular but excusable.
6. Polling station F. 5:05 p.m. -5:40 p.m.
- All ballots pre-signed and pre-stamped since Dec.16.
- No spoiled ballots. 66 requests for portable ballot box.
- 5-10 min. needed per one voter to vote.
- «Activists» delivered invitations to all voters.
7. Polling station G (poll closing and vote count). 7:20 p.m. -6:40 a.m.
- No voters in line at 20:00.
- Initially there were 1167 voters on the voter list; after corrections – 1156.
- 49 voters on the supplementary list.
- Voting ended at 19:45.
- PEC voided the unused ballots by cutting the left bottom corner.
- Unused ballots were wrapped up and tied; no seal or signatures; later taken to TEC
- Number of unused ballots according to PEC count: #1-150; #2-144 (blue); #3-150; #4-150; #5-150 (+2 spoiled; counted twice)
- Ballot boxes unsealed in the presence of all commissioners and observers
- PEC commissioners didn’t appear to know the procedures all that well
- Ballots containing two or more marks; or no marks at all were invalidated
- After the counting, the ballots were not placed into sealed containers but were tied (not sealed)
- Protocols were completed by the chairman, the secretary and one commissioner
- There was no vote on invalidation procedure
- No vote on protocols
- Large protocols posted on the wall were only partially filled
- Ballots weren’t sealed after the counting
- Local administration head was present
- Counting and reconciling voter lists lasted for 2 hours
- No sample ballots were posted
- 4 mobile boxes for 104 requests
Yekaterinburg
1. Polling station A. (local jail; opening). 8:30a.m. - 9:15 a.m.
- Election posters (information) of candidate for district & federal list
- Personal record # was required
- Ballots pre-signed and pre-stamped
- The subject whether any voters weren’t been allowed to vote was not defined. Voting was held by absentee certificates or personal applications. It was the voter’s personal choice whether to vote or not.
- 2 min. needed for each voter to cast a ballot
- The polling site itself was mobile.
- Polling site rating: 2 (considering jail conditions)
2. Polling station B (local jail). 9:15 a.m.-9:30 a.m.
- Information on the candidates posted
- Personal record # was required
- Ballots were pre-signed and pre-stamped
- 2 min. needed for each voter to cast a ballot
- Observers were not permitted to talk to prisoners hence no exit polling
- Polling site rating: 2
3. Polling station C. 11:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m.
- Information posters inside the polling site
- Passports required
- Ballots signed and stamped a day before the election
- Some voters conferring with each other prior to marking their ballots
- Attempts at family voting
- No spoiled ballots at the time when observers were present
- 15 min. needed for a single person to cast a ballot
- 15-20 requests for mobile ballot box
- Polling site rating: 6 (too crowded, messy)
- Exit polling showed that voters believed the election process at this site to be generally OK but time consuming (too many people; need to stand in line, etc.) Putting more voting booths would be very helpful.
4. Polling station D. (Nizhny Tagil). 1:30 p.m-2: 20 p.m.
- Information about the candidates posted inside
- Ballots pre-signed and pre-stamped
- Some voters conferring with each other prior to marking their ballots
- Attempts at family voting
- No spoiled ballots
- Observer failed to learn whether any voters have not been allowed to vote
- It’s possible that some voters have not been allowed to vote because they didn’t have their passports
- 10 min. needed for each voter to cast a ballot
- 10 requests for mobile ballot box
- Polling site rating: 3
- Exit polling showed that voters thought the lack of music made the polling site feel «like a cemetery».
5. Polling station E (N.Tagil). 2:50p.m. -3:20 p.m.
- Passport was required. In one case an international passport was shown.
- Ballots pre-signed and pre-stamped
- Some voters conferring with each other prior to marking their ballots
- Attempts at family voting
- No spoiled ballots
- 4 min. needed for 1 voter to cast a ballot
- 13 applications to vote outside the polling station
- Exit polling showed that voters found the music being too loud
6. Polling station F. 5:30 p.m. – 6:05 p.m.
- Ballots were pre-signed and pre-stamped
- Passport was required
- Voters conferring with each other prior to marking their ballots
- Attempts at family voting
- No spoiled ballots
- 3 min. needed for one voter to cast a ballot
- 11 requests for mobile ballot box
- Polling site rating: 5
7. Polling station H&I. 6:10 p.m.-6:35 p.m.
- Information about candidates posted
- Passport required
- All ballots pre-signed and pre-stamped
- People entering booths in pairs
- Voters conferring with each other
- Family voting
- No spoiled ballots
- Some people tried to obtain ballots for other voters (not successful)
- 5 min. needed for 1 voter to cast a ballot
- 15-17 applications to vote outside the polling station
- Exit polling suggestions: voter list should be prepared more carefully
8. Polling station J (poll closing and vote count). 7:30p.m.-3:30 a.m.
- No voters in line at 8:00 p.m.
- 1804 voters on the voter list
- 31 voters on the supplementary list
- Voting ended at 7:58 p.m.
- The PEC voided the unused ballots by cutting the left bottom corners
- Unused ballots were kept in a locked safe
- 2293 unused ballots in all
- Ballot boxes unsealed in presence of all the commissioners and observers
- PEC members appeared to know the procedures
- Polling site appeared orderly
- While counting , the PEC used tally for district ballots and stacking for the federal
- 1628 valid ballots were cast at this polling station (all signed and stamped by the commissioners)
- 1invalid ballot was cast
- After the counting the ballots were wrapped into paper
- The protocols were completed by PEC Secretary (in pencil)
- Protocols were temporarily brought to the TEC before being completed by pen at the polling site
- The Secretary of the PEC delivered the protocols to the TEC (at 1:30 a.m.)
- Poll closing rating : 2+
Kaliningrad
1. Polling Station A, Leningrad District (poll opening). 7:35 a.m.-8:48 a.m.
- 10 Precinct Commissioner present (8 of which are teachers at the school)
- 5 Domestic Observers present (1 OVR, 1 KPRF, 1 Unity and 2 independent candidates)
- 1 policeman is present
- 2354 voter on the original voter list as of 8:00 a.m.
- First voter served promptly at 8:00 a.m.
- 4 voter were added to list and four were removed (these all were clearly marked)
- Seven absentee ballots were issued. Persons were crossed out of Voting List and this was signed by Chairman of PEC
- Unused ballots all had stamp and two signatures from PEC members (each member signed in different color)
- Voter not on the list, but able to prove their right to vote (absentee ballot or propiska), are allowed to vote with appropriate document (passport, military ID)
2. Polling Station B, Girevni District. 9:07 a.m. - 9:35 a.m.
- 1013 voters on Voters List. They expected about 60% to vote
- Very slow when we arrived
- 5 members of PEC (all teachers at the school)
- All ballots signed and sealed the day prior to voting and kept in safe overnight
- Two observers (1 OVR and 1 Unity)
- Average vote cast in a matter of minutes
- Two people applied for the mobile voting unit
- Polling site rating: 8
Unusual Procedures
3. Polling Station C. 10:00 a.m. – 10:25 a.m.
- 1966 voter on Voter List. Five added so far in the day based on documentation shown.
- 12 members of PEC. A few did not seem to know anything about elections.
- All ballots signed and sealed the day prior to voting and kept in safe overnight.
- 2 observers (1 Unity and 1 independent candidate)
- No absentee ballots issues. Received 20 absentee ballots and voided all 20
- Average vote cast in a matter of minutes.
- No one has applied for the mobile voting unit
- Polling site rating: 2
Unusual Procedures
4. Polling Station D. 10:25 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.
- 2256 voters on Voter List
- 8 members of PEC
- All ballots signed and sealed two days prior to voting and kept in safe.
- 2 observers (1 Unity and 1 independent candidate)
- 9 absentee ballots issues. Received 20 absentee ballots. 6 voided and 5 provided to another PEC through an Act
- At 10:00 a.m., 83 voters had cast ballots
- Average vote cast in a matter of minutes
- One voter turned away as came from work without proper documentation
- 8 people applied for the mobile voting unit
- Polling site rating: 7
Unusual Procedures (positive)
5. Polling Station E, Svetogrosk Region. 12:00 p.m. – 12:35 p.m.
- 2300 voters on Voter List
- 11 members of PEC
- Very crowded and chaotic
- All ballots signed and sealed a day prior to voting and kept in safe
- 5 observers (2 Unity, 2 KPRF and 1 OVR)
- 3 absentee ballots issues
- Average vote cast in 10 minutes
- 15 people applied for the mobile voting unit
- One voter wanted to vote for daughter and was not allowed
- A couple of voters not on voters list, but resident in the regions and legitimate voters, were upset to be put on additional voters list as if this were a stigma (or a possible means of «big brother» like control)
- Polling site rating: 5
Unusual Procedures
- Did not seem to be reporting on a timely basis to the TEC – had no idea as to number of votes cast
- Chairman seemed uncomfortable when discussing absentee ballots
- Very poorly organized voting flow, with voting on tables outside the booth
6. Polling Station F, Svetogrosk Region (military sanatorium). 12:45 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
- 1160 voters on Voter List
- Many voters, but well organized flow
- All ballots signed and sealed a day prior to voting and kept in safe
- 7 observers (2 Unity, 3 KPRF and 2 OVR)
- At 10:00 a.m., 60 voters had cast ballots
- Because this is a sanatorium (for rest), an unusual number of absentee voters, with ballots, cast votes (40). Absentee voters all asked to present proper documentation
- Average vote cast in a matter of minutes
- 11 people applied for the mobile voting unit
- Polling site rating: 9
Unusual Procedures (positive and negative)
- attempted to make sure only 1 voter at a time went into voting booth, but were not always successful.
- commissioners were quite knowledgeable and explained voting procedures to each voter (in an efficient manner) – no ballots were spoiled and they were proud of this.
7. Polling Station G, Primorskii region. 3:20 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
- 1850 Voters on the Voters List («give or take a few» according to Precinct Chairman).
- 11 members of PEC
- 1092 voters by 4:00 p.m.
- All ballots signed and sealed a day prior to voting and kept in safe
- 4 observers (1 Unity, 1 Yabloko and 2 independent candidates)
- 16 people applied for the mobile box
- Followed mobile box to TB sanatorium for young men in the military. All had heir passports. Did not vote in separate room as planned because light bad in room. Voted out in open. Mobile box also followed for one house visit, where voter was assisted to the point of commission member filling in her choice on the ballot (due to her infirmity)
- Average vote cast in a matter of minutes
- Polling site rating: 7
Unusual Procedures
8. Polling Station H, Leningradskii Region (Student Housing unit): 7:00 p.m. – 7:25 p.m.
- 1392 Voters on the Voters List
- 10 members of PEC
- At 6:00 p.m.. approximately 650 people had voted.; about 52% of voters expected
- All ballots signed (separate color for each of the signers) and sealed a day prior to voting and kept in safe
- 7 observers (1 Unity, 2 OVR and 1 independent candidate – 3 had left)
- 9 people applied for the mobile box
- They provided 16 absentee ballots of 24 issued. Remaining 8 absentee ballots destroyed
- They had seven voters with absentee ballots
- Because this is student housing, not all who come to vote are registered («propiska»). They are not allowed to vote unless they received temporary registration. As discussed below, Russian passport is not enough
- Average vote cast in a matter of minutes
- Polling site rating: 8
9. Polling Station I, Moscovskii Region (poll closing). 7:30 p.m. – 2:00 a.m.
- 2704 Voters on the Voters List
- 13 members of the PEC 91o of the 13 members are from the factory where PEC is located)
- 6 observers (1 KPRF, 1 Unity and 4 independent candidates)
- At 6:00 p.m., 1485 people had voted
- 4 people with absentee ballots voted here
- Voting ended at 8:00 p.m. promptly
- 1595 total votes cast (21 Voters on supplemental list)
- Unused ballots stored on the commission table. They are counted separately and not destroyed for a long while
- Invalid ballots were decided upon unilaterally by the individual looking at the vote and distributing it to be piled
- Reasons for invalid ballots: multiple votes, no votes or crossed out one, several or all.
- The Secretary of the PEC filled out the protocols
- The protocols were filled out by pen. They took a significant amount of time to complete.
- the PEC was very inexperienced in filling out protocols and did not know how to do it. They needed to refer to CEC book many times
- Polling site rating: 8
Unusual Practices
- 10 of 13 of PEC members were from factory of polling station – head of factory is a SMD candidate. Head of factory came in second at this polling station 9better than he did in Kaliningrad)
- During vote count, 4 members of PEC called out for whom the vote was cast and handed out the ballots.
- Unused ballots were not destroyed until well after the vote count started.
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