The suffrage of the Russian Federation is interpreted in an objective and subjective sense. In the first case, we consider a system of legal norms that ensure the regulation of public relations. These relations are connected with the election procedure of bodies of territorial and state administration. The subjective suffrage of the Russian Federation represents a guaranteed opportunity to elect and be elected. In the first case, they talk about active, and in the second, about a passive opportunity.
The concept of suffrage, as well as the whole of the electoral system, is collective in nature. In Russia, there are five subsystems, in accordance with which they establish the election procedure:
- The President;
- deputies of the State Duma;
- deputies of legislative representations in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation;
- heads of administrations of subjects;
- bodies of territorial self-government.
The suffrage of the Russian Federation has its own distinctive features. The most important of them is considered that the process of electing deputies to the State Duma and the President is established exclusively by federal laws and the Constitution of the country. At the same time, the subjects of the federation do not participate in the regulation of the procedure for carrying out this procedure.
It should be noted that the Russian Constitution does not have a special section governing the suffrage of the Russian Federation. In a fairly general form, its norms are enshrined in article 32. Some provisions are reflected in article 81, which determines the procedure for the election of the President. It should be noted that the absence of a separate chapter does not mean that the text of the Constitution does not reflect the norms of suffrage. So, all its principles, or defining the initial provisions, are fixed in sections that are devoted to the foundations of the state, constitutional system, freedoms and rights of a citizen and a person, structures of government bodies.
Under the principles understand the mandatory conditions and requirements, without following which the legitimacy of the elections is not recognized. The foundations, which are a reflection of democracy and expressing democracy in the country, are fixed at the constitutional level. The Constitution determines that suffrage is direct in the secret ballot procedure, universal, equal. In the Federal Law, the principle of voluntariness is additionally established.
The universal right is the suffrage, which provides for the participation in the elections of all adults regardless of nationality, race, gender, official or property status, attitude to religion, origin, language, place of residence, membership in any association. In Russia, an active opportunity to vote is provided to persons who have reached the age of eighteen. It should be noted that granting citizens the right to participate in elections is not the same as forcing them to participate in them. In some cases, there may be a massive non-participation of citizens in the elections. Russian legislation sets a certain percentage of voters. If fewer citizens are present at the elections, then the elections are considered invalid.
In Russia, foreign citizens living in the municipality where the elections are held can also use the active voting right. However, these citizens cannot be elected (they do not have a passive opportunity to participate in elections).
The sources of electoral law are, first of all, federal laws, universally recognized norms and principles of international law, the Constitution of the Russian Federation, normative acts of state entities, election commissions, and local self-government.
The state guarantees the secret of the will of citizens. To do this, booths are specially equipped at polling stations in which citizens fill out ballots.