March 21, 2024

To Vote or Not to Vote?


To Vote or Not to Vote?
A voter in the last Russian presidential election, 2018.  Alexandr Podgorchuk/Klops.ru., Wikimedia Commons. 

The Kremlin pushed hard to increase voter turnout in last weekend's presidential elections, but options for citizens who opposed the current administration were limited. Verstka compiled a list of some modes of participation and protest. 

There were three candidates on the ballot alongside the incumbent president, Vladimir Putin, none of whom were critics of him or his presidency. They included the deputy of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, Nikolai Kharitonov; the chairman of the ultranationalist Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, Leonid Slutsky; and a member of the New People (Novie lyudi) Party, Vladislav Davankov.

Of these, Davankov was the only one who has not spoken in support of the war on Ukraine, which garnered him a fair amount of support. Earlier in March, Davankov polled at 7.4% among prospective voters, a distant second place to Putin's 81.8% support. The fact that Davankov did not openly speak in support of the war does not mean he is meaningfully opposed to it, especially since he has supported several pro-war bills in the Duma. 

Another way voters expressed protest at the polls was to invalidate ballots. A ballot without any candidate chosen will be thrown out, as will a ballot with more than one candidate selected. The number of invalid ballots is counted separately in the final election results, and the percentage can be compared to "uncommitted" votes cast in protest in US Democratic primary voting. 

The "Noon Against Putin" movement called for a more public display of protest: Organizers encouraged voters to arrive at the polls at noon on Sunday, March 17, en masse, to overwhelm polling locations. Protesters filled out their ballots for any candidate besides President Putin, or else wrote in names, such as "Alexei Navalny." 

The final option was to simply boycott the election, out of either dissent or apathy. 

As of late Sunday evening, Putin had been reported as the winner of the presidential race, with 88% of the vote.

 

You Might Also Like

What Russians Want
  • February 05, 2024

What Russians Want

Independent sociologists have sussed out what Russians really want from their government.
New Face at Russia's Helm
  • January 03, 2000

New Face at Russia's Helm

This article was written in early January, 2000, about Russia's new acting president and a man not well know outside Russia.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.
The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.  
The Samovar Murders

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.
The Moscow Eccentric

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.
Tolstoy Bilingual

Tolstoy Bilingual

This compact, yet surprisingly broad look at the life and work of Tolstoy spans from one of his earliest stories to one of his last, looking at works that made him famous and others that made him notorious. 
Survival Russian

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.
Russian Rules

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.
Murder at the Dacha

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.
Turgenev Bilingual

Turgenev Bilingual

A sampling of Ivan Turgenev's masterful short stories, plays, novellas and novels. Bilingual, with English and accented Russian texts running side by side on adjoining pages.
White Magic

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.
The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955