Russian Duma election voters given ballots with "United Russia" already marked

In the Komi Republic, voters in Russia's State Duma elections were reportedly handed ballots with the box next to the "United Russia" party already ticked. The claim was made by Communist Party deputy Mikhailov on his Telegram channel.

"A voter came out of the booth, and a specific party had already been marked on his ballot. Commission member Lyubov Yershova, who was distributing the ballots, noticed that other sheets had also been marked in advance. In total, around 50 ballots were found to have been marked this way," he wrote. The deputy later posted a video showing an entire stack of pre-filled ballots lying on a table, specifying that all of them had been marked in favor of United Russia.

Election commission's response

Ella Pamfilova, head of Russia's Central Election Commission, said that everyone involved in the incident would be strictly punished. "This is unacceptable. We need to carefully determine whether this was a deliberate provocation," she said, adding that such cases are "extremely rare" and that the Komi Republic overall stands out for its "very high electoral culture."

However, other posts from the same deputy cast doubt on this claim. He points to additional violations — including pressure placed on employees of state enterprises and university students, who were allegedly instructed to ensure 100 percent turnout. He also reports that election commission members made home visits to those who had not yet voted.

First election since the invasion began

Voting for the State Duma — the lower house of Russia's parliament — is taking place from Friday through Sunday. This is the first such election since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022. Voting has also been organized in occupied Ukrainian territories. The country's political system remains under the tight control of the ruling United Russia party, to which President Vladimir Putin also belongs, and no one doubts the party's overall victory in the election.

Source: novinky.cz