Voting machine or COIB

Electoral ballot processing system, abbreviation COIB, is a voting machine that is rapidly replacing the traditional ballot box. This machine automatically scans and identifies the ballots cast. The COIB also automatically summarizes the election results in the polling station. The results are considered correct by default, and manual counting or verification of ballots is possible only in exceptional cases. In the 2024 Russian presidential election, the number of COIBs was almost 14,000.

When COIBs were introduced, experts were concerned that the results of COIBs' count might be easily falsified. However, manual check recounts showed that the results matched or were even more accurate than manual count. Nevertheless, the use of COIBs cannot be a guarantee against falsification. The most massive falsification occurred during the second round of the gubernatorial elections in Primorsky Krai in 2018, when numerous COIBs produced incorrect results.