Penza, 18 September 2016. PenzaNews. 15 reports of violations in elections that require verification, detailed analysis and confirmation, were registered at “Penza. Control” website as of 17.30 on Sunday, September 18.

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In particular, the portal reports that at two polling stations — No. 778 in Neverkino and No. 518 in Kamenka — additional ballots were put in the boxes. Law enforcement agencies and the regional election committee will verify the facts. Upon confirmation, the perpetrators face criminal liability.

A similar case, as reported by activists from polling station No. 417 in Sursk, Gorodishche area, the Penza region. One of the public sector workers allegedly threw a number of ballots in the ballot box and fled in an unknown direction.

In the same area, according to officially unconfirmed information, a so-called “carousel” group was discovered which moved around in a white van: its participant was caught by one of the observers. As it turned out, the woman is registered in Penza. The police will investigate what she appeared to be in Sursk.
The essence of one of “carousel” methods is that a voter gets a ballot that must be put in the ballot box, and a new, clean ballot that one gets must be handed to the “carousel manager” for money or other valuable things. Clean ballots are filled in and given to the next voter.

The second option is an organized mass voting at several polling stations with false absentee ballots, and the observers cannot recognize such forgery.

Almost a similar message of a “carousel” group was received from Penza, but it was not confirmed, moreover, as the new details kept arriving during the day, the situation started looking ridiculous.

In particular, the residents informed the activists that a car with state license plate M003MM 58RUS went from station to station with several people in it. In the morning they saw the car near the center for culture and leasure, then near GPZ, and then twice in Akhuny. As it turned out, it was the car of Penza Mayor Victor Kuvaytsev who actually went to Lenina square in the morning, where Governor Ivan Belozertsev and State Duma deputy Leonid Levin voted, then he himself voted in school No. 77 on Antonova Street, and then arrived with his wife to his home in Akhuny.

Meanwhile, from Penza and Kuznetsk there comes confirmed information about calls received at home and mobile phones of Penza residents, the strangers urged them to vote for the party “The Just Russia.” Such actions are illegal. Any campaigning is prohibited not only on the eve of the voting day, but on the election day itself.

Such a call was twice received in PenzaNews agency. The recording of one of them is available to the journalists. In both cases the call came from Moscow numbers, so establishing the number owners should not be difficult if the election committee of the Penza region has the desire to do so.

In addition, “Penza. Control” website reported that all workers in the maternity ward on Prospekt Pobedy Street in Penza were allegedly forced to take absentee ballots and under threat of dismissal “to vote for the party United Russia.”

LDPR headquarters confirmed this information to PenzaNews, adding at the same time that people were forced to make their choice openly, without entering the voting booths so that the health facility management can control the employees.

LDPR representatives filed a complaint to the regional election committee based on this incident which is currently under verification, as well as other previously received claims.

On September 18, in addition to the State Duma elections, the region holds by-elections of deputies of the Penza City Council in the 17 th and 19 th single-member districts, the election of representatives of the Assembly of Deputies in Kamenka and Serdobsk areas, as well as deputy elections to the local authorities in 19 areas.

During State Duma elections each voter receives two ballots — the federal and single-mandate constituencies. In the first case one may vote for one of 14 parties registered by the CEC. In the second ballot, the voter gives preference to a particular candidate.

“Against all” box is not presented in both ballots. It was abolished in all types of elections in 2006, but then returned during municipal elections in 2014.

The elections will be considered valid with any turnout. In the Penza region it has traditionally been higher than the average in Russia. So, 13 years ago, the turnout in the region during parliamentary elections it was more than 57%, in 2007 about 70%, and in 2011 almost 65%.

According to the election committee of the Penza region, as of 15.00 the voter turnout amounted to 41.6%.