Not everyone goes to the polls. The thing is, people don't really know how they do it. Systems are different, and the elections themselves too. They tell you that you need to go and vote in a single-member district. What is it? That is the first thought of most voters. What does such an expression mean, and what should we do with it? Let's eradicate "political illiteracy."
Single-member constituency
You don't need to invent anything to understand what it's about. We turn to the law (according to which the elections are held). It is clearly written there: a single-mandate constituency is a territory from which only one representative can be nominated to a collegiate body. That is, there can be many candidates, but only one will win. Such a constituency is formed under various electoral systems. Among them indicate the majority, multi-party, proportional and direct delegation. It turns out thatsingle-member constituency is a fairly common concept. It can be found in various laws and acts regulating the will of various groups of the population. The point of voting is to choose one of many. Issues of formation of districts, their work and other nuances are determined by special acts. If we talk about elections to self-government bodies, then by the relevant law.
How counties are formed
This work is entrusted to the Central Election Commission. It generates lists of single-member constituencies subject to certain conditions. All of them should have approximately the same number of voters. That is, each candidate for the body formed by this vote must have equal conditions with others. For example, when elections to the State Duma are held, each single-member constituency must unite a certain number of voters. This is necessary to create conditions for equal participation of citizens in the political life of the country. After all, their representative will express their opinion in the formed body. If this condition is not observed, then we will get a disproportionality of the rights of voters. For example, one deputy will defend the rights of hundreds of citizens, and another - thousands. It is clear that some people will feel deprived of their rights. It turns out that a single-mandate constituency is a form of observing justice during plebiscites. Deviation from the average number of voters is allowed. But it should not exceed ten percent, for hard-to-reach areas - fifteen.
Link to administrative-territorial division
There are some other conditions that are observed in the formation of districts. They cannot unite citizens living in different subjects of the Russian Federation. That is, each of them has its own districts. In this case, the first condition of an equal number of voters must be met. The exceptions are territories separated from the subject itself, so to speak, enclaves. In addition, such a district is formed only from territories bordering each other. For example, neighboring villages and cities, districts and so on. It is impossible to connect with one district settlements that are separated by other territories that are not included in this formation. In practice, the binding is made to administrative-territorial units in order to maintain proportionality of representation. At least one district is created in each subject of the Russian Federation.
Documentary justification
The scheme of single-mandate constituencies should be developed no later than one hundred and ninety days before the date of expiration of the powers of the current State Duma. It is submitted to that body for review and approval. It must contain the following data: the name and number of each district, a list of administrative-territorial units included in it. In fact, this is a list of cities, villages, towns, districts, and so on. If one metropolis is divided between several districts, then the boundaries are clearly defined. Followed by the address of the polling stationcommissions, the number of citizens with the right to vote. The Duma approves the scheme by a special law, which is promulgated one hundred and twenty days before the expiration of its term.
Exceptional conditions
It is legally prescribed what to do if the State Duma is unable to comply with the requirement to publish a list of single-member constituencies. This could theoretically happen in the event of its dissolution. Then the decision is made by the Central Election Commission. Two are offered. It is necessary either to hold elections according to the old scheme, which was approved for the previous popular will of the same order, or the commission forms and approves a new one by its own decision. It is formed taking into account all the above conditions. That is, in this case, the functions of the State Duma are shifted to the CEC. All this must be decided and made public within ten days. In the case of early elections - seventy-five days before the expiration of the powers of the current body.
For voters
Elections of deputies in single-member districts are held by simple voting. And this means that when you come to the polling station, you will receive a ballot in which you need to mark only one candidate. Responsible voters are advised to familiarize themselves with them in advance so as not to learn their identities in the voting booth. Please note that if you mark several, your choice will not be taken into account. The ballot will be considered invalid (spoiled). After the voting is over, the results are tabulated. Members of the local committeestudying all the ballots, conduct a direct count of the number of votes cast for each candidate. Spoiled ballots are counted separately. When the count ends, the results are compared. The winner is the candidate for whom the largest number of citizens voted. Quite democratic. Rarely, but it happens that it turns out not one, but two “firsts”. That is, the candidates received an equal number of votes. It is legally prescribed how to act in such a situation.
What is a single-mandate constituency, considered on the example of elections to the State Duma of the Russian Federation. The principles in other legislative acts remain the same, only the timing of the promulgation of the necessary decisions may vary.
