You’ve seen the headlines about Russian elections. Usually, they involve some high-drama footage of people dropping paper slips into clear plastic bins or, lately, someone tapping a touchscreen in a booth. But if you’re sitting there wondering, does Russia use mail in ballots like we see in the United States or the UK, the answer is a weird mix of "technically yes" and "practically no."
Honestly, the way Russia handles remote voting is nothing like the Western postal system. In the U.S., you get a ballot in your mailbox, sign it, and send it back. In Russia, the government has essentially skipped the post office and gone straight to the smartphone.
The Law vs. Reality: Does Russia Use Mail In Ballots?
Back in May 2020, Vladimir Putin signed a law that officially allowed for voting by mail. At the time, the world was in the middle of a pandemic, and the Russian government argued that they needed ways for people to vote without crowding into a school gym. The law specifically mentioned that the Central Election Commission (CEC) could organize voting "via the post" or through digital means.
But here’s the kicker. Even though the law is on the books, you will almost never see a Russian voter actually licking a stamp.
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Instead of a massive mail-in infrastructure, Russia dumped all its resources into Remote Electronic Voting (REV), which they call DEG. If you can't make it to the polls, the Kremlin doesn't really want you handling a paper ballot that has to be tracked through a physical sorting facility. They want you on Gosuslugi, the national "State Services" portal.
Why the Post Office Got Left Behind
Basically, the Russian postal service (Pochta Rossii) isn't viewed as the most reliable backbone for a high-stakes election. There are logistics issues, sure, but there’s also the "control" factor.
- Digital is faster. Results from the digital system are instant.
- Administrative "Resource." It’s way easier for a boss at a state-owned factory to tell 500 workers to "vote online and show me the confirmation" than to check if they actually mailed a physical envelope.
- The "Black Box" Problem. Independent monitors like the Golos movement have pointed out that electronic systems are much harder to audit than physical paper trails.
How People Actually Vote Remotely in Russia
Since the physical mail-in option is basically a ghost, how do Russians vote if they aren't at home? There are three main ways this happens today.
The "Mobile Voter" System
This is probably the most popular "remote" method. It’s not a mail-in ballot. Instead, it’s a system where you tell the government, "Hey, I’m not going to be in my home district on election day." You use the Gosuslugi app to "detach" yourself from your local station and "attach" yourself to a different one—maybe near your office or in a different city. You still show up in person, but you’re on a special list.
Remote Electronic Voting (DEG)
This is the big one. In the 2024 presidential election, this was rolled out in 29 regions. About 4.5 million people used it. It’s slick, it’s modern, and it’s controversial as hell.
In the 2021 parliamentary elections, the electronic results in Moscow were held back for hours. When they finally dropped, they completely flipped the results of several districts where the opposition was winning on the paper counts. This led to a huge outcry, with the Communist Party—usually quite tame—refusing to recognize the results in the capital.
Home Voting (The "Pies and Benches" Method)
If you’re elderly or disabled, you don't use the mail. You call the local commission, and they bring a portable box to your apartment.
An election official, often a local teacher or clerk, walks to your door with a paper ballot. This is what some Russian analysts call the "ritual" of voting. It’s about the "grandmothers, benches, and pies" mentioned by CEC insiders. It feels personal, even if it’s heavily managed.
The 2026 Shift: Why Remote Voting is Cooling Off
Interestingly, as of early 2026, the Kremlin seems to be backing off the "vote-from-anywhere" digital push. Why? Because it’s becoming a security nightmare.
Reports from sources close to the Central Election Commission suggest that for the upcoming 2026 State Duma elections, the massive rollout of electronic voting is being shelved in many regions. The ongoing conflict in Ukraine has made the government paranoid about cyberattacks. If the system gets hacked or goes down during a drone strike—as happened with connectivity in the Kursk region—it makes the state look weak.
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Furthermore, regional governors aren't fans. They can't control the digital numbers as easily as they can manage a physical ballot box. The digital data goes straight to Moscow, bypassing the local "adjustments" that regional bosses like to make.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Russian System
People often compare Russian voting to the U.S. "absentee" system. It's a mistake.
In the U.S., mail-in voting is often seen as a way to increase turnout among people who might struggle to get to the polls. In Russia, the goal of remote methods is often mobilization.
When the state wants a high turnout to show "national unity," they push people toward the digital portal. It’s not about making it easier for you to vote; it’s about making it easier for the state to ensure you’ve participated.
- Trust Levels: A 2024 study mentioned that while Russians like the convenience of digital tools, a huge chunk of the population still expects fraud when the "human element" of watching a paper box is removed.
- The "Closed Blockchain": Russia claims their electronic system uses blockchain for security. However, it's a "closed" blockchain. This means only the government has the keys to look at the ledger. It’s like a bank telling you your money is safe because they have a ledger, but you’re not allowed to see your own balance.
Actionable Insights for Following Russian Elections
If you are tracking Russian political developments or the 2026 elections, don't look for "mail-in" stats. They don't exist in any meaningful way. Instead, watch these three indicators:
- Gosuslugi Registration Rates: Watch how many people are being funneled into the "State Services" portal before an election. This is where the real remote voting happens.
- Regional DEG Availability: If a region "opts out" of electronic voting, it usually means the local governor wants more control over the physical paper process, or the Kremlin is worried about local unrest.
- The "Three-Day" Window: Russia now almost exclusively uses three-day voting periods. This makes "remote" voting less necessary because you have a huge window to show up in person.
The bottom line? Russia doesn't use mail-in ballots because the government prefers a system that is either hyper-digital and centralized or old-school and physically managed. The paper envelope lost the race to the smartphone a long time ago.
When observing future Russian electoral cycles, prioritize looking at Remote Electronic Voting (REV) participation rates rather than searching for postal data. Check the CEC (Central Election Commission) official portal for "DEG" (Digital Election) statistics to see the actual scale of non-booth participation. Monitor reports from independent groups like Golos for discrepancies between paper-based tallies and electronic results, as this is where the most significant "remote" voting friction occurs.