Election officials report nearly 40 percent turnout in Russia’s ongoing constitutional plebiscite

As of June 29, turnout for Russia’s plebiscite on constitutional amendments has reached 37.2 percent, Interfax reports, citing the Deputy Chairman of the Central Election Commission, Nikolai Bulayev.

According to the Central Election Commission, in total, 40,415,000 people have voted so far. This turnout data takes into account voters who cast their ballots online, an option available to residents of the Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod regions.

The nationwide vote on constitutional amendments — which includes reforms that could allow President Vladimir Putin to remain in power until 2036 — is running from June 25 to July 1. The main voting day, July 1, has been declared a public holiday.

In addition to the week-long voting period, the constitutional plebiscite includes a number of other “innovations,” such as allowing people to cast their ballots “outside of voting locations” (allowing polling stations to be set up at alternative, open-air locations due to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19), and allowing the publication of exit polls prior to the closing of the polls. 

According to the latest survey among people who have already voted from the government-run Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VTsIOM), 76 percent supported the amendments to the constitution, while 23.6 percent voted against.