Press Release, 13.03.2023

Photo by the Novosibirsk branch of Yabloko

Why it is necessary to sign up as a member of the a precinct electoral commission when many people do not believe in fair elections, when there are no candidates from the democratic opposition in the elections, when the tragic events make one think about other much more complex moral problems, when the opposition and civil society are demoralised, when there is often no choice in the elections and when voting seem pointless – the Novosibirsk branch of Yabloko answers these questions and announces recruitment of voting members of precinct electoral commissions from Yabloko.

Here come five reasons to become a member of the precinct election commission from the Yabloko party for the upcoming five-year period:

• It is important to preserve the institution of elections, maintian its mechanisms in working order, where it is still possible – for the sake of the future, where genuine competitive and democratic elections are possible. If we allow the institution of elections to deteriorate, it will be much more difficult and much longer to restore it in the future.
• It is necessary to acquire experience and retain the skills of protecting the law in electoral technologies, improve one’s qualifications in this, which will become one of the guarantees of real democratic elections in the future.
• An honest citizen as a voting member in an electoral commission can become an obstacle to accidental or intentional violations, as it has happened more than once. It is necessary to discourage the falsifiers or simply correct random errors in the electoral mechanism on the spot at those precinct electoral commissions where violations have become a norm. It is necessary to preserve the tradition that has developed in Novosibirsk of minimizing falsifications at precinct electoral commissions.
• It is impossible to silently allow the political machine to create lawlessness where it is still possible to resist without risking one’s freedom, otherwise this machine will regard silence as complete unanimous approval.
• It is necessary to expand the circle of members of precinct electoral commissions with a casting vote from the democratic opposition, especially after the status of a member of a precinct electoral commission with a consultative vote was abolished. Under such conditions, members of precinct electoral commissions with the right to vote become especially valuable.

The Novosibirsk branch of Yabloko announces a preliminary recruitment of those wishing to become a member of precinct election commissions with a casting vote in the Novosibirsk region to form new lists of commissions members for the period 2023-2028.