Press Release, 23.09.2021

Infographics by the Press Service of the Chelyabinsk branch of Yabloko

Voting at home at the Chelyabinsk Metallurgical Plant

Blue line: voting for United Russia

Red line: voting at home

Х: annulment of ballots at precinct No. 686

* Based on the data of GAS Vybory system as of 22.09.2021

Yaroslav Shcherbakov, Chairman of the Chelyabinsk branch of Yabloko, analysed the results from precinct electoral commissions located in the territory of the Metallurgichesky District, and detected a direct connection between home voting and voting for the pro-government United Russia party. The Chelyabinsk Yabloko still goes on processing the data. For each fact of falsification, the Chelyabinsk branch of Yabloko will seek filing of criminal cases and the annulment of the results.

In the late evening of 17 September, the first voting day, the Chelyabinsk branch of Yabloko managed to cancel more than 1,000 ballots of alleged voting at home at polling station No. 686. Consequently the result of the ruling party in this polling station contrasts with the results at neighbouring polling stations: 17% versus 50-73%.

This contrast aroused the interest of the Chairman of the regional department, Yaroslav Shcherbakov. After examining data on home voting and data on voting at polling stations, he found out that voting at home was proportional to voting for United Russia. The above graph clearly shows the dependence described above.

“In the context of home voting, the expression “staying at home means voting for United Russia” takes on new meanings,” Yaroslav Shcherbakov summed up.

Yabloko activists believe that if the electoral legislation were observed, situations when more people voted at home than at the polling station (as was the case in precincts Nos. 673, 674, 675, 696, and 712) would have been impossible. Even indicators over 20% are not credible. On all the facts of potential falsifications, the Chelyabinsk Yabloko will seek filing of criminal cases and the annulment of the voting results.