Don voters spoke about the first day of voting

At polling stations in Rostov-on-Don, there was a noticeable mass voting by budget employees on the morning of September 18, and the election commission reported a turnout of 25% only in the first half of the day. Residents of the Rostov region, surveyed by "Caucasian Knot", noted electoral apathy and do not believe in protest voting.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", residents of the Rostov region named the main irritants ahead of the elections as drone strikes, gasoline shortages, rising prices, and internet restrictions.

In the Rostov region, elections to the State Duma will take place in six single-member electoral districts. In 399 urban and rural settlements across all 43 districts of the region, residents will elect more than 4,000 local deputies. Additionally, by-elections to the regional legislative assembly are planned in the region, according to the report "Election campaign in the North Caucasus and Southern Federal District in 2026".

The election commission of the Rostov region reported that only in the first half of the first day of voting, September 18, the voter turnout in the region was about 25%. A correspondent from “Caucasian Knot” asked residents of the Rostov region about their attitude towards the elections. The material is not a public opinion poll, does not claim to be representative, and is not intended to determine voters' political preferences, intentions to vote for specific candidates, or to predict election results.

A resident of Rostov-on-Don Aleksey, who works in the IT sector, voted on the very first day around 9:00 AM. According to him, the idea of expressing protest through ballots lost its relevance several years ago.

“In our region, people have practically stopped viewing elections as a way to influence something or express protest. Most believe that everything is predetermined in advance, and the three-day procedure only reinforces this feeling. I went to the polling station in the morning, around nine o'clock, just to free up the weekend and not think about it. Moreover, at work, they were okay with me being an hour late because of voting,” he told “Caucasian Knot”.

The man noted that the polling station in the Voroshilov district was unexpectedly crowded. “Mainly employees of budget organizations came in whole groups, they all went together. The process took about 20 minutes, there were no large queues, but the flow was steady. Outside the polling station, people mainly discussed everyday matters and rising prices, and regarding the elections themselves, they said they came on Friday at the request of management,” said Aleksey to “Caucasian Knot”.

A pensioner from Bataisk Irina Nikolaevna, who voted in her own apartment, on the contrary, considers participation in voting the only available way to express her opinion, albeit without hope for quick changes. In her opinion, it is still possible to express protest through elections if people come to the polling stations in large numbers.

“The commission members came to our home with a portable ballot box and ballots. I have been having difficulty moving after surgery for a month, I told my granddaughter that we must definitely apply and invite them to visit us. They came early in the morning, organized everything quickly, I voted, and treated them to delicious tea. I disagree with many things: our pensions should be higher, salaries higher, roads better, medicine better and cheaper. For this, I voted for my candidate, that is my protest,” she said.

Irina Nikolaevna's granddaughter also managed to vote on the very first day. “Honestly, if it weren't for the promise that grandma practically forced me to make, I wouldn't have gone to the elections. I don't see how one can achieve success through elections when everyone around is afraid of losing their job, pension, or bonus. And the result will be whatever the higher management wants,” said Yelena.

According to her, there were many people at the polling station, but she didn't have to wait long. “There were no crowds, people voted quickly and left the polling station. I didn't notice anything unusual,” she concluded.

“Voting as a method of protest is not perceived at all”

The protest potential in the region remains, but due to the lack of clear opposition leaders, it shifts towards electoral apathy, believes an engineer from Novocherkassk Sergey.

“People would like to express dissatisfaction, but they do not see through whom: the strongest candidates are removed even before the start, so the choice seems illusory. I voted around 12:00, I specifically chose my lunch break so as not to waste time on the weekend. It was quiet at the polling station, one or two people came in at a time, mostly middle-aged and older people,” he told “Caucasian Knot”.

An entrepreneur from Taganrog Yelena noted that in provincial cities, elections have long been perceived as a formal procedure rather than a tool for struggle.

“Very few people try to express protest through voting; this form is considered ineffective. The elderly go out of inertia, while the youth completely ignore it. I plan to go to the polling station on Saturday morning because I have a lot of work on Friday, and I want to rest on Sunday. My acquaintances and relatives also chose Saturday as the most neutral day. In conversations with close ones, we discuss financial difficulties and local city problems – road repairs and garbage collection – more than the election agenda of the parties,” she shared.

A student from a Rostov university Maxim is confident that young people do not see elections as a way to express protest, preferring other forms of activity or complete detachment.

“Among my peers, voting as a method of protest is not perceived at all; everyone understands how the system works. If someone is dissatisfied, they look for other ways or simply detach themselves. I voted today at 14:00 because the polling station is near my studies, and it was convenient to stop by between classes. I was practically alone at the polling station, not counting the commission members and two police officers. The process took literally two minutes; everything was very mundane. We hardly discussed the elections with friends, just joked about the coercion of budget employees, and my parents said they would go vote on Sunday evening, as they are used to doing it on the main day,” he said.

A resident of Shakhty Olga, who works in trade, believes that protest sentiments among people are strong, but they do not trust the accuracy of vote counting.

“People are driven to despair by rising prices and the decline of utilities; protest is building up, but it is almost impossible to express it through elections. No one believes in this anymore. I myself have not voted yet: I plan to go on Sunday closer to the closing of the polling station, around 19:00, so that my vote is one of the decisive ones,” she jokingly said.

The official turnout demonstrated the mobilization of budget employees

Rostov political scientist Dmitry Abrosimov, commenting on the first day of voting, noted the high level of administrative mobilization.

“A turnout of over 25% in the first half of Friday is an absolutely expected picture for a three-day procedure, demonstrating the clear operation of administrative resources and the organized arrival of the budget sector and employees of large enterprises. It is not worth considering these figures as a surge of genuine civic interest or protest activity: the main protest or doubtful electorate will either ignore the elections or try to come to the polling stations closer to the evening of Sunday,” he told “Caucasian Knot”.

High turnout figures on the first day create conditions for diluting independent observation, noted an human rights activist, an election observer who wished to remain unnamed.

“A turnout of 25% by noon on the very first Friday indicates that the main mass of administratively dependent voters has already been processed through the polling stations while independent observation is just beginning to unfold or is facing organizational barriers. In the context of a three-day format and early voting mechanisms, Friday becomes a key day for laying the necessary foundation for the authorities. Protest-minded citizens in this situation become demotivated: seeing such figures already in the middle of the first day, they completely lose faith in the possibility of influencing the final result through ballots,” he stated.