“I will vote at the polling station, the situation forces me to do so,” said Askold Zapashny, People’s Artist of Russia and artistic director of the Moscow Circus.
Photo: Alexandra BUDAEVA. Go to Photobank KP
By now, 1.4 million people have already voted in the Moscow elections. On September 6-8, residents of the capital will elect deputies to the Moscow City Duma, and TiNAO and Kurkino will also elect municipal deputies, so they will have two ballots to vote, not one.
“I will vote at the polling station, the situation forces me to,” said Askold Zapashny, People’s Artist of Russia and artistic director of the Moscow Circus. – It is important for me to vote. I don’t understand when people complain about the authorities, but they themselves are too lazy to even go to the polls. It all starts with us.
“DIGITAL IS THE FUTURE”
Nowadays, you don’t even need to go anywhere: you can vote at home from your smartphone.
– Having a cup of coffee before going to work. “I voted at 8 o’clock in the morning,” said Anna Klyukina, director of the Darwin Museum. – I voted because I think it is important to elect people who will then pass laws and monitor their implementation.
For those who are used to making their choice “the old-fashioned way” using voting papers, there are also preparations (this year it was necessary to notify their wish in advance using an app).
In other cases, Muscovites will be able to vote at any polling station from 8 am to 8 pm on September 6, 7 and 8 using an electronic voting terminal. As they joke in the electoral monitoring centre: electoral serfdom has been abolished in our country. You can vote everywhere.
– Moscow is a leader in the implementation of digital services. I think that the entire political process, or a significant part of it, will soon become digital. It is modern, bright, convenient and reduces the distance between the voter and the MP, between the person and the government, says political scientist Alexei Chesnakov.
– In some countries, voter registration is done using biometrics. Do you think it is possible that we do not have a place for “calls”, meetings with voters in the courtyards and leaflets? – asked the deputy head of the Public Election Observation Office, Alexander Asafov.
– I think that traditional campaigning has a right to exist: you go down the street with a child, he sees the election decorations and asks you what they are. And while you explain, you immerse yourself in the topic, one way or another. In addition, this is an element of political education for the future citizen. I am in favor of remote voting, but diversity and the right to choose are important,” admitted Alexey Chesnakov.
TIME SAVING
At the time of this publication, more than a million people had already voted in Moscow. About 43,000 of them did so via electronic voting terminals (EVT), more than 25,000 – “on paper.” The rest are online.
The deputies who are running for election have already personally visited the polling stations and admit that everything is organised at the highest level: the cameras are positioned in such a way that it is not visible who the person is voting for in the TEG. And online voting saves a lot of time, which is perhaps the most expensive thing we have at the moment.
“I voted at the polling station using the SDR because I trust this voting method,” said Vice President of the Russian Federation Pyotr Tolstoy. – Look how quickly everything is changing: just 5 years ago, during the elections to the Moscow City Duma, electronic voting was available only in a few districts. Now – all over the city. What’s next? Will artificial intelligence replace deputies? No, it won’t! I’m sure of that.
NICE BONUS
Another advantage of electronic voting is the opportunity to earn reward points, which can be spent on actual in-store purchases, theatre tickets or travel expenses.
Thus, all those who voted via TAG and online are taking part in the “Million Prizes” programme and the “#ChooseTogether2024 – Moscow” campaign, where 1,000, 3,000 and 5,000 prize points will be raffled off (1 point equals 1 ruble).
By voting on elec.mos.ru, you can register for another draw and receive a discount of 15 thousand points on purchases of household appliances, sporting goods or everything you need for travel.
1000 guaranteed points will be awarded to those “over 60” who voted for the first time and did not win in any other categories. You can only receive this guaranteed prize once. Details can be found on the “Millions of Prizes” promotion page.
