Published on: 2026-08-27
Source: Moscow Government – Правительства Москвы –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
On August 28 from 8:00 to 14:00, Muscovites will be able to participate in testing the electronic voting system and deciding the fate of the monument to Alexander Pushkin. The test voting will be organized in front of to the elections to the State Duma in Moscow online on the page elec.mos.ru, as well as on a number of polling stations in all districts of the capital.
During the vote, citizens will have to answer the proposed question: should the monument to A.S. Pushkin be returned to its historic location on Tverskoy Boulevard, in honor of the unveiling of which the famous speech by F.M. Dostoevsky about the role of the poet in uniting Russia was delivered? This initiative was addressed to the city authorities by People’s Artist of the RSFSR, Chairman of the Union of Cinematographers of the Russian Federation, Nikita Mikhalkov. His appeal to the city authorities was forwarded to the public monitoring headquarters for elections in Moscow and supported for inclusion in the test vote.
City residents will not only answer a question concerning the urban environment, but will also get acquainted with how the electoral process will be organized from September 18 to 20, 2026, and will also help experts ensure the system’s readiness for the September elections.
Who can participate in the test voting
All adult Muscovites with permanent registration in the capital will have the opportunity to participate in testing the electronic voting system. Full identification will also be required for online voting. account on the portal mos.ru. Each voter can check in advance the available ways to cast their vote on August 28 and in future elections using a special service in their personal account on mos.ru.
The participation of citizens in testing the electronic voting system will help specialists understand whether it requires additional debugging before the September elections, as well as work through all possible scenarios of system behavior under various conditions.
How to get a ballot
As with the upcoming elections to the State Duma of the Russian Federation, each participant will receive a ballot to answer the test voting question. This can be done in any of the available ways.
In order to share an opinion about the fate of the Pushkin monument online, you need to visit the page on August 28 from 08:00 to 14:00 elec.mos.ru, log in using a full account on mos.ru, and then confirm participation in the voting by entering the verification code that will be sent to the voter’s mobile phone. After the ballot opens, it is necessary to mark the chosen answer option and press the “Vote” button.
Get the bulletin using the electronic voting terminal on this day, you can go to any of the open polling stations — the list of addresses is published on special page. To do this, you need to personally come to a convenient polling station with your passport and use a free terminal, following the prompts on its screen. Similarly to online voting, on the ballot you need to mark one answer option to the question and confirm the choice by pressing the ‘Vote’ button.
At the polling stations, it will also be possible to vote using a traditional ballot paper. You need to bring your passport with you.
All electronic votes will be recorded on the blockchain — a continuous data chain — in an anonymous encrypted form. Blockchain technology reliably protects information from editing and deletion, as well as from adding extra data. Votes will be decrypted before tallying the results, while remaining anonymized.
During testing on August 28, specialists will check the correctness of all processes and algorithms, the operation of elements and devices of the Moscow electronic voting system, including the online voting page, terminals, and the electronic voter list. Additionally, the system will undergo stress tests to ensure its resilience to increased loads, brief power outages or communication failures, and other potential disruptions.
In September 2026, elections for deputies of the State Duma of the Russian Federation and municipal deputies of the Shchukino district will be held in Moscow. Voters will have access to all methods of voting. It will be possible to make a choice online on elec.mos.ru from 08:00 on September 18 to 19:59 on September 20 (a full account on mos.ru is required). Polling stations will be open from 08:00 to 20:00 during all three days. Thanks to electronic terminals, you can vote at any of them.
Everyone who votes in the capital online or using an electronic voting terminal from September 18 to 20, 2026, will become a participant in the campaign “#ChoosingTogether2026 — Moscow” the “Million Prizes” programs and will receive from one to 50 thousand prize points. They can be exchanged for discounts at partner stores, pharmacies, and restaurants, for tickets to museums, or used to top up maps “Troika” or to donate to charity. One point equals one ruble.
Please note; This information is raw content obtained directly from the information source. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.