Local electoral official in Omsk wins apartment for voting in constitutional plebiscite

In the Siberian city of Omsk, the head of voting district No. 1352 won an apartment during a prize draw for participants in the ongoing plebiscite on constitutional amendments.

On June 25, the lottery’s organizers announced on the social networking site “VKontakte” that Anna Ganeva, a 59-year-old resident from the town of Luzino, had won the apartment that was included in the draw. The announcement didn’t mention that she is the head of a local electoral commission. 

Ganeva’s job at the electoral commission was reported by the news portal NGS55 on the evening of June 25. According to the publication, Ganeva said that her winning is a coincidence: “I am also a voter! I voted and took a raffle ticket. I didn’t mean to, it just happened.” 

According to NGS55, the lottery’s rules don’t ban electoral commission employees or their family members from entering the draw. Participants in the raffle are only required to be Russian citizens over the age of 18, who are registered as permanent residents of the Omsk region.

Lotteries and prize draws for participants in the plebiscite on constitutional amendments have been organized in Moscow and several other regions across Russia. On June 11, the Moscow Mayor’s office announced its “Million Prizes” campaign, in which voters are eligible to receive vouchers valid at supermarkets, restaurants, museums, and cinemas in the Russian capital.