OBJECTIVES

Assisting in the conduct of free and fair elections

Raising voters' legal awareness and improving citizens' legal culture

Preventing and restraining violations of electoral rights

Delivering hands-on assistance to citizens in resolving social problems

 TASKS

Setting up federal and regional offices of public hotlines for communication with voters on the base of politically non-partisan non-governmental organizations

Working out the methodology and practical recommendations for handling citizens' appeals

Organizing direct interaction with election commissions on all levels, legislative and executive agencies, local governments to ensure prompt response to citizens' appeals

Facilitating interaction with the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation, regional public chambers, non-governmental organizations, political parties, campaign headquarters of the candidates, representatives of foreign-based and international organizations

Analyzing and summarizing voters' calls to the Hotline

Coordination of the work of Russian non-governmental organizations that concentrate on election problems

Informing voters and public about the work of the Hotline

 ORGANIZATION

The work of the public voters' hotline is realized under the aegis of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation with the support of the Coordinating Council for Observance of Citizens' Election Rights

Organizations that set up the Hotline, the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation and regional election commissions sign agreements on cooperation in the course of preparation and conduct of elections

The Central (national) office of the public hotline is situated in Moscow in the premises of the Russian Foundation for Free and Fair Elections

Hotline offices in federal districts and regions are set up in separate premises, provided by civic organizations with the assistance of Russian Federation subjects

Each Hotline office is equipped with telephone, fax and Internet connections

During the election campaign period, a toll-free multi-line telephone number is working 24 hours per day

For meetings with voters in remote localities, there can be set up Mobile offices of the Public Hotline on railway or highway transport

On the voting day, the CEC Information Center sets up Mobile terminal of the Public Hotline for immediate reaction to the issues related to election right violations

Central and regional Hotline offices as well as the Mobile terminal are connected by the Internet conference call sessions

On-call staff members available for consultations include operators and experts in the area of electoral law and election technologies as well as volunteers from youth organizations, students of law and sociology faculties

The information obtained via the public Hotline is registered, processed, summarized and submitted to the Central Office of the Hotline for response

Experts from the Russian Foundation for Free and Fair Elections ensure control over detected problems connected to electoral rights violations

Based on the results of the Hotline work, a Summarizing Report based on extensive statistical and factographic material is prepared and released to public

 RESULTS

Elections to the State Duma of the Federal Assembly State Duma. In Sep – Dec 2007, the public hotline brought together 45 offices of communication with voters in 38 regions of the country in all federal districts. Hotline offices covered Russian territory from the Khabarovsk Territory to the Kaliningrad Region, from the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District to the Republic of Dagestan. There have been received 32,460 appeals of voters in all subjects of the Russian Federation and some foreign states, including those 10,157 – submitted on the voting day and during vote count.

Elections of the President of the Russian Federation. In Feb-Mar 2008, the public hotline included 50 offices: 40 – in regions, 7 – in federal districts, a central office – in the Moscow House of Civic Organizations, a Mobile terminal – in the International Information Center and a Mobile Office on the railway route of Octyabrskaya RailRoad from St. Petersburg to the Republic of Karelia to Severomorks of the Murmansk Region. Public hotline offices reached Vladivostok and Kamchatka. There have been received 22,327 voters' appeals from all subjects of the Russian Federation, including those 8,728 – submitted on the voting day and during vote count.

Deputy elections to the governments of Russian Federation subjects and elections of the heads of municipal entities. In Mar-April 2007, the public hotline was active in 9 regions of the country, while in October 2008, the number of regions increased to 12, i. e. almost the hotline worked almost in all regions where elections were held, including two new subjects – the Zabaikalsk Territory and the Irkutsk Region. On the federal level in Moscow, there has been working the Central Office in the Socio-Political Center of the Moscow Region. On the voting day, the CEC Information Center set up a Mobile Terminal that gathered information about citizens' appeals. Overall, during the elections in October 2008, there have been received 1,099 appeals from 27 subjects of the Russian Federation.

The public hotline for communication with voters attracts interest among citizens and gives hope for resolving problems and issues that are described in voters' appeals. It is an efficient tool of interaction between civic society and the state, a real mechanism of public control over elections