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VoteRights

Russia

Eurasia · ru

Federal presidential republic; the president is elected by direct popular vote and elections are administered by a Central Election Commission.

Profile last reviewed July 23, 2026

Russia enfranchised women in 1917, ahead of Britain, the United States and France, and elected a Constituent Assembly by universal suffrage — which was then dissolved, beginning seven decades of one-party rule. Competitive elections returned in 1991. Since then the presidential term has been lengthened and term limits reset, voting has been spread across several days, and remote electronic voting has expanded; OSCE/ODIHR did not observe the 2021 Duma elections after limits were placed on the size of its mission.

How voting works today

Voting age
18 and over
Voter registration
State-initiated
Identification
Photo ID required
Compulsory voting
No
Postal voting
Restricted
Early voting
Available to all
Online voting
Restricted
Voting from abroad
Available to all

Voter lists are compiled by the authorities. National votes now run over several days rather than one, and remote electronic voting is available in a growing number of regions — both changes that observers say reduce the extent to which the count can be independently checked.

How the franchise changed

Every entry records a change in who could vote, or how — expansions, restrictions and procedural reforms alike.

  1. 1917Expansion

    Universal suffrage including women was introduced for the Constituent Assembly — one of the earliest national franchises to include women.

  2. 1918Restriction

    The Constituent Assembly was dissolved, and competitive elections gave way to seven decades of one-party rule.

  3. 1991Expansion

    The first direct presidential election of the Russian Federation was held.

  4. 2008Reform

    The presidential term was extended from four years to six.

  5. 2020Restriction

    Constitutional amendments reset the count of presidential terms, and the vote on them introduced multi-day voting and expanded remote electronic voting.

  6. 2021Restriction

    OSCE/ODIHR did not observe the State Duma elections, after restrictions were placed on the number of observers it could deploy.

Safeguards on the count

Ballot type
Mixed
Post-election audit
No routine audit
Election administration
Government-run
Domestic observers
Yes
International observers
No

Voting uses a mix of paper ballots, scanning machines and remote electronic voting. There is no routine audit reconciling electronic totals against a paper record. Domestic observers are formally permitted but their access has been narrowed, and ODIHR has not deployed a full observation mission to recent national votes.

Worth knowing

  • Russian women were enfranchised in 1917 — before women could vote in Britain on equal terms, in the United States, or in France.
  • Since 2020 national votes have been spread over several days and remote electronic voting has expanded, which observers identify as the main obstacle to independently verifying results.

Sources

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