Instead of just changing remote electronic voting, lawmakers seem to be planning to make more significant changes to all electoral laws.
According to the reporter MorningNews, the State Duma deputies approved a bill in the second reading that introduces several important changes to the country’s electoral system. Originally, it was supposed to only impact the organization of remote electronic voting, but during the process, it was decided to expand it significantly.
The legislative proposal itself, aimed at organizing the work of the DEG more effectively, is the work of deputies Dmitry Vyatkin and Dmitry Lameikin from United Russia. Initially, the project involved adding a new provision to the fundamental law on electoral rights, directly related to online voting. It was passed in the first reading on 26 January.
However, many amendments were received for the second reading that could in some way affect the entire electoral system of the country. For instance, an amendment regarding the impossibility of re-voting was added to the draft. Previously, the same provision was used in the elections to the State Duma in Moscow in the fall of 2021, at the insistence of the city authorities, led by Mayor Sergei Sobyanin.
Nevertheless, not everyone was in favor of the amendment. For instance, the head of the Central Election Commission, Ella Pamfilova, objects to it. Additionally, among more than 10 clarifying and supplementary points, there were amendments unrelated to electronic voting.
These include a prohibition on being elected in any elections for five years after serving a criminal sentence for individuals convicted of extremist crimes (against the foundations of the constitutional order and state security). Furthermore, there are organized regulations concerning the participation in elections of candidates with the designation of foreign agents, as well as individuals affiliated with them. For this purpose, the Ministry of Justice will establish a new specialized registry.
Other proposals involve expanding the territories of polling stations. Currently, they cover no more than 3 thousand voters, but if the law and these amendments are finally adopted, they will be able to cover a larger number of people. The law also proposes leaving members of election commissions with only an advisory vote in the Central Election Commission and regional commissions, and replacing them with observers in TECs (territorial divisions).
The opposition strongly opposes these changes and plans to seek the repeal of the amendments. According to State Duma deputy from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation Alexei Kurinny, such innovations may negatively impact the mechanisms for monitoring voting. In this regard, observers will not have any decision-making power or be able to influence anything.
The politician pointed out that in the past, commission members with the right to consultative vote had access to the voter lists, which allowed them to identify violations and falsifications, and specific criminal cases were initiated. If the amendments are adopted, they will not have such opportunities.
As an alternative, the opinion of one of the initiators of the bill, Dmitry Vyatkin, is given. According to him, the law simply brings the rules of law to a real life situation, since, according to the parliamentarian, the members of the commission with the right to consultative vote were actually engaged in supervisory functions.
Here it is worth noting the acuteness of the topic of remote electronic voting. A number of opposition politicians from the same KPRF oppose this system as a whole, believing that it opens up many opportunities for manipulation. In addition, there are fears that people, especially from the public sector, will by hook or by crook incline precisely to electronic voting.
Allegedly, in this way it is easier to manipulate people, to persuade them to certain electoral strategies. There are serious questions about the verification of voters in such a vote. However, the world and Russian practice of recent years says that all this can be systematized and legalized to eliminate problematic situations. Apparently, the current work is aimed precisely at this.
Source: MorningNews
