Source: HRO.org (info), 13/03/12 

· Electoral rights  · The Courts 

Several hundred Russian citizens who were unable to obtain absentee ballots are getting ready to sue the Election Commissions in their districts. According to Grani.ru and Gazeta.ru, the plaintiffs claim that the Election Commissions’ actions violated their constitutional rights and they are demanding a million roubles in damages. Civic activist Daniil Lindele, who has published a template for a statement to bring a lawsuit of this kind, has explained that since the plaintiffs come from different regions, they will not be able to file a class action suit. 

Right before the presidential elections, absentee ballots disappeared from many voting stations. Lindele believes that absentee ballots were distributed among state institution workers, who were then driven to the voting stations. According to the head of the Moscow Regional Election Commission, Irek Vildanov, people asked for the absentee ballots under pressure from their bosses at work. This was why there were no absentee ballots remaining a few days before the election. On the day of the elections, Vildanov stated: “People have been begging for these ballots on their knees saying that they would lose their job if they don’t bring the absentee ballots to work”. [Read more]