Electronic voting in Moscow

Electronic voting in Moscow is the process of voting through a special internet portal, available only to residents of Moscow. Each Muscovite can choose how they will exercise their voting rights: remotely using E-voting or offline, by visiting the polling station in person.

The electronic voting in Moscow was first implemented in 2019 as part of an experiment during the elections to the Moscow City Duma. At that time some voters had the right to vote remotely in 3 out of 45 single-mandate electoral districts. The implementation of the Moscow electronic voting system was accompanied by numerous difficulties and challenges. Laws allowing the implementation of electronic voting were adopted in extremely tight deadlines.

Observers and opposition politicians note that the electronic voting system is not transparent and provides numerous opportunities for falsifications. The system of electronic voting provides an opportunity for observation, but in most cases, it is useless and does not clearly indicate whether falsifications have occurred. In 2019, during the elections to the Moscow City Duma, a pro-government candidate won in one of the electoral districts due to votes cast by E-voting. Roman Yuneman attempted to challenge the results of electronic voting in court but failed. In 2021, during the elections to the State Duma of the Russian Federation in single-mandate electoral districts within Moscow, electronic voting was also used. Pro-government candidates in some districts were able to win only due to E-votes.