Evaluation of experts ’opinions on the possibility of introducing a penalty for not participating in elections in the Russian Federation

Relacoes Internacionais no Mundo Atual. 2022. Vol. 3. No. 36. P. 692–699.

Ekaterina Marmilova, Kudryashova E., Karabasheva M., Kashirskaya L.

The purpose of the article is to conduct a content analysis of the opinions of Russian experts on the possibility of introducing liability for non-participation in elections in the Russian Federation. The authors used a specialized subgroup of content analysis - media content analysis- as scientific research method. The article's authors conclude that in the Russian Federation, the introduction of a fine for failure to appear at a polling station is discussed only at the level of an idea. Experts' opinions can be divided into 4 groups: the group of experts has a positive attitude to introducing a fine for failure to appear at the elections; the group of experts has a negative attitude to introducing a fine for failure to appear at the elections; the group of experts notes the conditions, in which it will not be necessary to introduce a fine for failure to appear at the elections («should not be introduced in those regions where the electorate is quite active»; and finally the group of experts does not see the prospect of a legislative initiative on the introduction of a fine for failure to appear at the election.

Keywords: выборы, elections, абсентеизм, избирательные кампании, избиратели, voters, electoral campaigns, явка избирателей, voter turnout, Absenteeism