The three-day election covers federal and local levels and is considered one of Russia's most important political events in 2026. More than 2,200 regional and local elections are also being held across Russia.
At polling station No. 2445 in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, voters arrived early in the morning. Ms. Natalia Petrova, an educator, was one of them. She said: “The new deputies should first and foremost prioritize national interests. We hope that capable people, with professional knowledge and management experience will be elected. I work in education, and I look forward to positive changes in this field.”
Polling stations are open from 8AM to 8PM local time. In addition, online voting will take place in 33 regions. Polling stations have also been set up in foreign countries for Russians abroad to cast their ballots.
Vladimir Pelov, Deputy Minister of International and Interregional Relations of the Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, said: “The election of deputies to the State Duma is an event of great importance, second only to the presidential election. Elections to the Federal Assembly are also being held here. People from all walks of life are participating, including those with disabilities. Everyone has been empowered to vote and express their wishes; and we expect high voter turnout."
According to Russia’s Central Election Commission, in addition to more than 380,000 domestic observers, the majority of whom were appointed by political parties, 1,126 international observers from 133 countries and representatives from 13 international organizations have been monitoring the elections.
Martin Garcia, a representative of the International Association for Political and Electoral Expertise (IAPEE), said: "So what I see is the solidarity of the people. They are happy to come to vote. They come to vote happily, probably because they're happy with the government too. And also, I think the people working here are volunteers. Most of them."
"And also I have a feeling it's more flexible that there are three ways of voting. If you're sick, you can ask for them to come to your house to vote. You can do it on the Internet or by post. So I think it's more democratic. I'm surprised how well organized everything is. The feeling is that there is a lot of security also. There are many security guards everywhere. They seem relaxed and happy to be here," Garcia added.
10 parties are included in the federal party-list ballot, including the United Russia, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (KPRF), the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR), New People, A Just Russia, Russian Party of Pensioners for Social Justice, Communists of Russia, Rodina (Motherland), the Green Party, and Direct Democracy Party.
