Over 3 million Russian citizens used the Mobile Voter service on the State Services portal, a figure reported by RIA News citing the Russian Ministry of Digital Development. The service lets people cast their presidential vote at a time and place that suits them, rather than strictly at their registered address.
Most voters chose polling locations in major cities and regions, with high activity in Moscow and Saint Petersburg, as well as the Moscow region, Krasnodar, Krasnoyarsk, Leningrad, and Samara regions, plus Tatarstan and the Irkutsk and Sverdlovsk regions. Applications for voting could be submitted until 23:59 Moscow time on March 11.
In addition to in-person options, Russians could vote online using the remote electronic voting platform. The deadline for online voting applications aligned with the same cut-off time.
Muscovites had the option to vote through the regional portal and did not need a separate application.
Earlier reporting indicated that a substantial portion of the population participated in early voting.
The Federation Council had scheduled presidential elections to run across March 15, 16, and 17, with polling sites open from 08:00 to 20:00 on each day. Online voting was available from 08:00 on March 15 until 20:00 on March 17.
For the first time since 2008, four candidates were set to compete for the presidency: Vladislav Davankov representing the New People party, Vladimir Putin running with his own nomination, Leonid Slutsky representing LDPR, and Nikolai Kharitonov from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation.
If the current president, Putin, were to win reelection, it would mark a fifth presidential term.
Earlier statements from Pamfilova referenced efforts to discredit the presidential election with alleged backing from intelligence agencies.
These developments illustrate how digital channels are shaping electoral participation by offering flexible voting options while also raising questions about accessibility, security, and trust in remote voting processes. The situation underscores the growing role of online platforms in electoral logistics and the need for transparent communication to voters in diverse regions. [Citation: RIA News via the Russian Ministry of Digital Development]