Russian Election Commission Modernizes Voting Process
In 2006, the Russian Central Election Commission (CEC) decided to go electronic. In a country as geographically vast as Russia, with 140 million citizens stretched across seven time zones and 90,000 electoral districts, the paper-and-pencil ballot system was slowing progress down.
But switching to the electronic system also had its challenges. The CEC first introduced limited e-voting in Novgorod during the October 2006 local elections. The USAID-supported Golos Association, a watchdog organization supporting voters’ rights, observed these elections carefully, and unfortunately found many problems with the CEC’s new machines.
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Golos-trained observers watch an electronic voting computer tally votes at a polling station in Novgorod
Photo Credit: Golos |
Golos voiced their concerns publicly, not expecting any official acknowledgement of their criticisms. But eventually, the CEC asked Golos for a full report with recommendations on necessary changes and improvements to the voting machines.
This constructive communication continued until March 11, 2007, when Golos was invited to view the “new and improved“ machines in action. To their surprise, nearly all their recommended modifications had been made.
“When the CEC invited us to see the new voting equipment, we were expecting very little substantive improvement,” explained Lilia Shibanova, General Director of Golos. “We were surprised to see that they had incorporated improvements to address nearly all of our October 2006 recommendations.”
The new machines are more tamper-resistant, allow voters to see a record of their vote, and better protect voter privacy.
The Golos report could have easily been dismissed by the CEC, but good working relationships among USAID, Golos, the Russian Fund for Free Elections and the CEC enabled substantive discussions between the CEC and Golos on how to address these issues.
This event signals a notable success, not only in improving the technical conduct of elections in Russia, but also putting in place constructive communications between Golos and the CEC, and setting an important precedent for other watchdog groups seeking to make a positive impact on Russian government policy.
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