Popular vote as a form of online dialogue between government and society

Zyablikov Aleksei ORCID: 0000-0003-2054-0066 Doctor of History Professor; Department of Philosophy, Cultural Studies and Social Communications; Kostroma State University 156001, Russia, Kostroma region, Kostroma, Kollektivnaya str., 16, sq. 3 a.zyablikov@yandex.ru Maksimenko Aleksandr Aleksandrovich ORCID: 0000-0003-0891-4950 Professor; Chief Researcher of the Anti-Corruption Policy Design and Training Laboratory; National Research University Higher School of Economics 119226, Russia, Moscow, Agricultural str., 39, sq. 632 Maximenko.Al@gmail.com Akhunzyanova Farida Tagirovna ORCID: 0000-0002-4610-5241 PhD in Cultural Studies Associate Professor; Department of Philosophy, Cultural Studies and Social Communications; Kostroma State University 156016, Russia, Kostroma region, Kostroma, m/r. Davydovsky-2, 25, sq. 164 farida.ahunzyano@mail.ru

Zaitsev Aleksandr Vladimirovich ORCID: 0000-0003-4977-8828 Professor; Department of Philosophy, Cultural Studies and Social Communications; Kostroma State University 156005, Russia, Kostroma region, Kostroma, Ovrazhnaya str., 20/23, sq. 1 aleksandr-kostroma@mail.ru

Introduction. The development of the digital communication space is qualitatively changing the nature of the dialogue between the government and civil society. Currently, this interaction is not just saturated with high-tech means of information exchange, but is institutionalized with the help of digital feedback platforms created by the state. The deliberative model of democracy, which yesterday had a slight touch of social utopia, today finds a good opportunity for implementation. The state and society are given space for a convergent movement, the purpose of which is to jointly solve problems on a national scale. The effect generated by such interaction will not only neutralize the challenges and risks of our time, but also ensure Russia's sustainable growth – in the economy, education, science and other spheres.

The public sphere, acquiring a digital configuration, requires supplementing the theoretical developments of Yu. Habermas, who considered political dialogue as the triumph of consensuality and tolerance, by the experience of agonal speech practices, the analysis of which we find in the research of X. Arend, S. Muff, K. Schmitt ^[1],[2],[3]. The substantiation of this kind of methodology is devoted to the works published in recent years ^{[4],[5],[6],[7]}. There are studies that reveal the features of online communications in the context of kratological discourse, defining the zones and forms of cooperation and co-creation of society and government ^{[8],[9],[10],[11]}. G.S. Smirnov's work, for example, substantiates the conviction that modern Russian government can acquire a "noospheric appearance" (become effective, actively reasonable and fair), but only if the principle of "social advice" is implemented, which is archetypal for Russian practice ^[12]. It cannot be said that the State is ready for the unconditional inclusion of the public in the decision-making process. The stage of transition from offline interaction between government and society to online dialogue is characterized by relapses of communicative practices based on the outgoing subject-object model, which puts communication participants in obviously unequal conditions. However, sufficient conditions have been created for the emerging intersubjective discourse, as well as for the implementation by the state and society of the function of social advice.

One of the most effective forms of achieving democratic participation of society in the affairs of the state is the popular vote. This model of direct popular expression and law–making is usually associated with the need to determine the political strategy of the state, to resolve issues that are commonly called "fateful": such is, for example, the referendum on April 25, 1993 on confidence in the President of the Russian Federation B.N. Yeltsin, stuck in people's memory thanks to the famous political slogan "Yes – yes – no - yes". Meanwhile, the law does not prohibit the holding of referendums to solve much less ambitious tasks – those that form the federal, regional and municipal agenda. A kind of referendum is a plebiscite, a kind of public poll on topical issues. The popular vote, based on the principle of equality of votes, remains one of the most fair and effective forms of citizen participation in government decision-making. The public vote serves to increase legal awareness, guarantees civil consent and provides the state with the legitimacy of its initiatives and decisions.

In the scientific literature, the popular vote is considered primarily in the context of electoral procedures, but its role, significance and possibilities are much broader. How is the popular vote integrated into the modern dialogue between government and society? What role does it play in online communication and what new opportunities does it open up for interaction?

The research is based on a dialectical understanding of socio-cultural processes and phenomena, on general scientific and logical methods of cognition. Statistical, institutional and comparative methods are used. 

The main part. The popular vote, considered in the context of Russian political history, is a complex and ambiguous concept. Its outlines are bizarre, the motives are contradictory: from the "shouting" of the sovereign by the crowd during the years of Troubles to the demagogic absenteeist "theories" of the turn of the XIX-XX centuries. The more careful one should be about the achievements of recent years, when the convergent trends characterizing the dialogue between the government and society have strengthened and marked a solid foundation for national accord.

For all the undoubted advantages of popular voting as a legal procedure, it also has significant drawbacks: organizational complexity, cumbersomeness, and cost. The achievements of the digital revolution make it possible to remove or largely solve these problems. Along with other channels and forms of digital communication between government and society, popular online voting should be institutionalized.

The global practice of using digital technologies in the electoral process has been going on for decades. In December 2011, during the elections of deputies to the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation of the VI convocation, more than 300 polling stations were equipped with electronic voting complexes (EEG). Describing the changes that have occurred in the technical equipment of the electoral process in Russia between the Duma elections of the VII (2016) and VIII (2021) convocations, the chairman of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation E.A. Pamfilova called this five-year period a "digital breakthrough" (1). At the same time, the attitude towards electronic remote voting (DEG) remains far from unambiguous. This is due to the requirement of unconditional guarantees that the system is completely protected from unauthorized interference. The experience of countries with a high network readiness index (USA, Canada, Finland, Japan, etc.) indicates that in these countries online voting in the electoral process has not received a serious institutional status, it is used sporadically as an auxiliary, peripheral tool. The exception is Estonia, which has relied on the deep integration of the state into the digital space: blockchain technologies are used everywhere there, and citizens choose deputies of the Riigikogu (State Assembly) using their smartphones.

Experimental online voting in the Russian electoral process was conducted in September 2019, during the elections to the Moscow City Duma (2). DEG technology was used in the Duma elections on September 17-19, 2021. Voters of seven constituent entities of the Russian Federation had the opportunity to cast their vote remotely, provided they had a verified account on the Gosuslugi portal. In both cases, the course and results of the pilot electronic voting caused a lot of criticism and skeptical assessments. There are several reasons for this: insufficient coordination of the organizational and technical side of the matter, difficulty in auditing the results of voting, distrust of some older voters to replace traditional paper ballots with digital media. By the way, during the implementation of the DEG, a paper intermediary – in the form of a final protocol – still arose, which partially devalues the very idea of the project and raises new doubts about the security of election results from fraud and falsification. On December 7, 2023, speaking at the plenary session of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation, the chairman of the CEC E.A. Pamfilova announced that DEG technology is planned to be used in the presidential elections of the Russian Federation in March 2024(3). The analysis of the features and prospects of online voting in the electoral process is devoted to the work of R.A. Alekseev, K.Yu. Novikova, Yu.V. Perron, V.I. Fedorova, D.A. Yezhova, D.M. Khudoleya, R.A. Shcherbinina ^{[13],[14],[15],[16],[17],[18],[19]}. R.A. Podzorov draws attention to such advantages of the DEG as an increase in voter turnout; involvement of the younger generation in the voting process; convenience for people with limited mobility and people in hard-to-reach places; reduction of organizational and financial costs; saving time on processing voting results; reducing the risks of fraud, pressure on members of the election commission. Among the significant disadvantages of DEG, the danger of information failures and cyber attacks is noted, as well as the prejudiced attitude of a part of the population towards new technologies ^[20]. If, indeed, the use of DEG in the electoral process still seems premature and rather risky, then in other areas it may be quite appropriate and effective. 

The first truly successful experience of using online voting in the dialogue between government and society can be considered the federal project "Formation of a comfortable urban environment", implemented within the framework of the national project "Housing and Urban Environment". This program, which started in 2019 (the passport was approved on December 21, 2018), grew out of regional initiatives for landscaping. The organizers and curators of the project are the Ministry of Construction and Housing and Communal Services and the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Communications. The social demand for creating a comfortable, safe, aesthetically attractive living space has been formed for a long time, but until recently, agglomerations and donor regions could mainly implement such ideas. Meanwhile, small towns, many of which form a unique recreational space, have an ancient and rich history, a unique architectural appearance, and are often in a dilapidated and neglected state. According to VTsIOM, 87% of residents of Moscow and St. Petersburg positively assess the quality of their living space, in the outback this opinion is shared by only 59% of the population. According to the urban environment quality index calculated by the Ministry of Construction of the Russian Federation, the most favorable living environment in Russia are large and large cities. In medium and small towns, the level of well-being and living comfort is significantly lower (Table 1)

Table.1 Percent of cities in the Russian Federation recognized as a favorable living environment (2022)

More than a quarter of Russians (27%) express dissatisfaction with the state of the urban environment (4).

The new political reality of the last decade, which required a significant adjustment of economic and social priorities, prompted the implementation of major infrastructure projects within the country, determined the rapid development of domestic tourism. One of the points of intersection between the paternalistic concern of the state and the grassroots civic initiative was the need to create a comfortable living space. The project "Formation of a comfortable urban environment" has received significant public support: according to VTSIOM data for 2023, this issue has an average importance index of 83.2% for the population. A higher index (84.4%) has only such a priority as "decent, effective work and successful entrepreneurship" (5).

The main goal of the federal project is to increase the share of cities with favorable conditions to 60% in 2024 (against 25% in 2019) and improve the quality of the urban environment by one and a half times by 2030. The second, equally important goal is stated: "creating a mechanism for direct participation of citizens in the formation of a comfortable urban environment, increasing the share of citizens those who take part in solving issues of urban environment development" (6). It is no coincidence that the package of legal grounds for the project included the Order of the Ministry of Construction and Housing and Communal Services of the Russian Federation dated December 30, 2020 No. 913/pr "On approval of methodological recommendations on the involvement of citizens, their associations and other persons in solving issues of urban environment development." This range of tasks serves as a good incentive to search for options for intersubjective interaction between government and society in a vitally relevant and substantive context. There are good opportunities here, provided that some residual inertial processes are overcome, which are manifested, on the one hand, in an excessively slow "red tape" of public dialogue, on the other hand, in a lack of civic engagement and responsibility. According to VTSIOM, residents of the regions, answering the question about the persons responsible for the formation of a well-maintained urban space, assign the first line to regional and municipal authorities (70% of respondents). 31% of respondents believe that the responsibility lies with public utilities, transport and other infrastructure organizations. The role of the residents themselves is estimated much more modestly – 23% (7). Such statistics are somewhat out of harmony with the stated goal of the project (direct participation of citizens in the formation of a comfortable urban space), but in no case cancels it.

Many Russian regions have experience in implementing landscaping programs. The idea that residents are an interested party to this process and should be its active actors was not born in the executive circular – it was a natural result of mutual attention to a problem in need of urgent solution. The way city parks, squares, boulevards, embankments, streets, courtyards, house territories look is an area of attention and responsibility not only for the authorities, but also for local residents. Equally natural was the choice of popular vote as a form of expression of the will of citizens. At first, it was held in the traditional version – with paper ballots and equipped polling stations. For example, on April 9, 2017, a public survey was held in Kostroma under the slogan "Change your city. Take part in the popular vote!" Residents of the city were asked to choose which territories out of the proposed eighteen should be landscaped first. 38 polling stations and three information platforms were equipped for the popular vote. The threshold for the minimum turnout of voters was set at 1% of the number of citizens of Kostroma who have the right to vote. 14,798 people (6.8% of those eligible to vote) took part in the survey. As a result of the voting, a rating of the winners was formed: Berendeevka Park, part of the territory adjacent to the Volga on the Kostroma right bank, Victory Park) – the order and timing of the reconstruction of the selected facilities were determined. In March 2018, there were significantly more participants in the popular vote – 51,888 people (24%): Kostroma residents appreciated the idea. This time, citizens chose one of several design projects for the development of the embankment in the Zavolzhsky district. In September 2020, another popular vote took place – within the framework of the "People's Budget" program, about which the chairman of the Kostroma Regional Duma, A.A. Anokhin, said: "This is a real mechanism for consulting with fellow countrymen – how to make our lives better, how to improve the territory, public spaces, how to decorate our cities, how to make our rural areas comfortable territories" (8). 11 territorial zones were identified, in each of which Kostroma residents were asked to allocate territories and facilities in need of urgent improvement. 3,2256 (15%) residents took part in the voting. The drop in turnout is explained by the onset of the coronavirus and the pandemic reality, which, apparently, accelerated the transition of the survey procedure – like many other events – to the digital public sphere.

Since 2021, popular voting in the Russian Federation has been implemented in an online format, which immediately demonstrated its advantages: wider audience coverage, lower resource costs, convenience and simplicity in both casting and counting votes. For citizens participating in the project "Creating a comfortable urban environment", several voting options are provided: using the digital feedback platform "Public Services. We decide together" (page za.gorodsreda.ru ), on the corresponding widgets of regional digital portals, as well as with the help of volunteers who accompany the plebiscite on the ground: in multifunctional and large shopping centers, in cultural institutions. The help of volunteers, who have a special application at their disposal, is necessary for those who do not have access to the Internet, as well as for the elderly. Any resident of the region aged 14 and older who has registered through a verified entry on the Public Services portal can participate in the voting. The object of improvement is not just selected from the list of proposed ones. Residents have the opportunity to submit their application: an appropriate option is provided on the portal. The electronic expression of will takes 45 days.

In 2021, 9.7 million Russians took part in online voting. In 2022, there were more survey participants – 10.7 million people. In 2023, 14.2 million people voted (one in eight residents of the country over the age of 14) (9). Starting in 2023, voting opportunities have been expanded: residents can now express their opinions using the feedback platform on the pages of government agencies and organizations on social networks. Deputy Prime Minister of the Government of the Russian Federation M.Sh. Khusnullin, commenting on the voting process in May 2023, noted: "The involvement of Russians in the voting process indicates that the project has proven itself and confirmed the trust of citizens. Residents vote both for landscaping facilities and for specific design projects for the transformation of public spaces" (10). Kemerovo, Sakhalin, Novgorod, Astrakhan, Belgorod, Saratov and Oryol regions, the Chechen Republic, the Republic of Tyva and the Krasnoyarsk Territory are named among the most active regions. The interest of citizens in the improvement of living space and their desire to formulate their opinion on this issue is evidenced by the results of an online popular vote conducted in the regions of the Central Federal District (Table 2).  

Table 2. Results of online popular voting in the regions of the Central Federal District within the framework of the program "Formation of a comfortable urban environment" (2022-2023) (11)

Almost all regions of the Central Federal District show positive dynamics of citizens' participation in online voting. The percentage of those who voted is quite high: Belgorod, Kaluga, Kostroma, Lipetsk, Oryol, Ryazan, and Yaroslavl regions are among the leaders. In the Moscow region, the number of participants in the online plebiscite doubled in 2023 compared to the previous period. The number of landscaping facilities is also large.

An important element of the state's activities to create a favorable living space is the All–Russian competition for the best projects for creating a comfortable urban environment, which has been held since 2018. The budget of the competition is 20 billion rubles per year. The winners are allocated funds from the federal budget: from 60 to 100 million rubles. As of July 27, 2023, 480 (14) out of 1,027 winning projects (2018-2023) have been completed.

As of the end of 2023, about 110 thousand public and courtyard territories were put in order within the framework of the program "Formation of a comfortable urban environment". Assessing the level of effectiveness of the authorities, residents note significant progress in the implementation of infrastructure projects, in the improvement of cities and towns. At the same time, the overwhelming majority of respondents call digital transformation the main achievement of the state, which is quite logical, since new technologies and channels of dialogue open up new opportunities both to ensure greater trust between the government and society, and to solve specific problems affecting the interests of citizens. It is important not to slow down the pace, not to drown in unnecessary bureaucratic approvals, not to preserve or formalize processes that have proven their practical importance and have found a response from society. The authorities have such an understanding. Here is the opinion of Yu.V. Talalaikina, Deputy Director of the Department of Strategic Projects of the Ministry of Construction of the Russian Federation: "Our project, one of the most popular in the country, is reaching a higher level today and requires a reboot. The question is how it can be rebooted" (15). These goals are served by the analytical report "Urban Environment as a miracle" (2023), prepared by the ANO "National Priorities" with the participation of the expert community. Among the elements of the "reset" is the need to invest not only in territories, but also in project teams, including representatives of government, the public, entrepreneurs, as well as professional architects, designers, builders. The report noted the positive impact of the program "Formation of a comfortable urban environment" on demographic processes, on the environmental component, on the development of tourism, IT and creative industries, and on improving the general culture of the population.

Such a factor as the involvement of residents in the implementation of projects and participation in the development of territories after the completion of landscaping is particularly emphasized. The most effective method of attracting citizens to participate in improvement programs is called working with initiative groups of the public. There is such a phenomenon as passive engagement, which is also generally effective. The data of VTSIOM, which investigated the degree of involvement of the population in the implementation of the improvement program, are presented. 74% of respondents say they are properly informed about the program. 70% of the respondents confirm that they are aware of the possibility of voting, 79% of them are aware of the possibility of voting on the portal za.gorodsreda.ru 53% of the respondents took part in the voting, 27% of them did it more than once. The survey participants' assessment of the results of the improvement programs is very high: 71% say they are "satisfied" or "rather satisfied" (16).

Attention is drawn to the fact that online voting has been used quite effectively for a long time in mass and screen culture, in public competitive events of various kinds. Let's ask ourselves: if an online survey is possible when choosing the best commercial, the best school theater, the best baker, when choosing a name for a panda cub born in the Moscow Zoo, then what prevents using this technology to select urban areas that need to be put in order, or the best design project of a boulevard or a square? Electronic ratings of songs, films, books, performances, and art projects, both the best and the worst, have long been included in our lives. Why not establish ratings (and anti-ratings) of Russian cities and urban areas! By the way, such unofficial ratings have gained huge popularity in the online space (17).Unfortunately, many of them are very biased and tendentious, which is explained both by the subjectivism of assessments, and the propaganda bias of the "compiler", and often by his aesthetic ignorance. A popular vote could solve this problem by making the results of the polls a weighty criterion for evaluating the activities of regional and municipal leaders. For example, even a visual comparison of two small historical cities: Ples (Ivanovo region) and Vyshny Volochok (Tver region) – clearly does not speak in favor of the latter. Combining the resources of network democracy and state improvement programs could raise the bar for the effectiveness of governors and heads of municipalities, increase their responsiveness.

An important step in this direction was the calculation of such an indicator as the urban environment quality index, formed annually (since 2018) by the Ministry of Construction and Housing and Communal Services of the Russian Federation. The index was introduced to assess the dynamics of changes in the implementation of improvement programs, as well as to determine the amount of subsidies to regions from the federal budget. All cities of the Russian Federation are divided into seven groups: 1) the largest (from 1 million inhabitants); 2) large (250,000 – 1 million); 3) large (100-250 thousand); 4) medium (50-100 thousand); 5) small 25-50 (25-50 thousand); 6) small 5-25 (5-25 thousand); 7) small to 5 (up to 5 thousand). 36 indicators have been introduced, which consist of six "spaces" (housing and adjacent space; street and road network; landscaped spaces; public and business infrastructure and adjacent space; social and leisure infrastructure and adjacent space; citywide space) and six criteria (safety; comfort; environmental friendliness and health; identity and diversity; modernity and relevance of the environment; management efficiency). Each indicator is measured in points – from 0 to 10. Thus, the maximum value of the city index is 360 units (18).

As a result of the implementation of the program "Formation of a comfortable urban environment", all regions of the Central Federal District demonstrate an increase in the number of cities with a favorable living environment (Table 3).

Table 3. Urban Environment Quality Index of the regions of the Central Federal District (2022)

The Oryol, Kursk, Lipetsk, and Yaroslavl regions show impressive dynamics.  The clear leader in the quality index is the Moscow Region (the low percentage of growth over the year should not mislead us, since the overall level of urban amenities here is significantly higher than in other regions). Belgorod, Lipetsk, Oryol, Tambov, and Yaroslavl regions have fairly high indicators of the quality of the urban environment. The dynamics of changes in the quality of the urban environment in a particular region of the Central Federal District is shown by the example of the Kostroma region (Diagram 1).

Diagr. 1. Dynamics of changes in the urban environment quality index in the Kostroma region (2018-2022)

If in 2018 only three cities of the Kostroma region (Bui, Kostroma, Nerekhta) had the status of a city with a favorable environment, then in 2022 their number doubled, Volgorechensk, Galich, Sharya also entered the "green" zone. Moreover, the quality index of the regional Galich turned out to be higher than that of the regional center. The average urban environment quality index in the region (189) remains below the national average. The improvement of small Russian cities should become one of the priorities of the state.

A much more comfortable living space is the regional centers of the Central Federal District, most of which are cities with ancient history, rich and distinctive cultural, recreational and architectural space (Table 3). Today they are not just being landscaped, but transformed, changing the quality of the urban landscape.

Table.3. Urban Environment Quality Index of regional centers of the Central Federal District

Moscow is the undisputed leader in the quality of urban space. If in 2018 eight regional centers of the Central Federal District (Bryansk, Vladimir, Voronezh, Ivanovo, Kursk, Orel, Ryazan, Tambov) were in the "blue" (unfavorable) segment, then by 2022 almost all of them managed to confidently move to the "green" zone. Over the five years of the program's implementation, Bryansk, Vladimir, and Voronezh demonstrated the highest growth in the quality index. Kursk and Tula show more modest dynamics. As of 2022, only Kursk remains in the unfavorable zone, although the Kursk region, as noted above, in the same period gave a good increase in cities with a favorable environment (+ 30%).

By the end of 2022, 603 Russian cities out of 1,117 included in the list were recognized as favorable for living. The value of the quality index for all 1117 cities was 192 points (out of a maximum of 360). The increase in the average quality index compared to 2019 was 13.6% (19).

Conclusion. Thus, the positive impact of the popular vote on the implementation of the federal program "Formation of a comfortable urban environment" is undoubtedly. Monitoring of online content and analysis of the results of the popular vote demonstrate the proximity of the percentage of participants in the online plebiscite and the increase in the average index of the quality of the urban environment. This indicates that the government and society have found an effective form of dialogue on an urgent and substantive agenda. The formation of a well–maintained living space is not only an economic issue: household, economic, mental-moral, aesthetic, patriotic motives converge here, which ultimately form a healthy sense of self of a Russian citizen. General cleaning, repairs and reconstruction on a national scale, taking place in Russia today, do not leave people indifferent.   

It is important that the urban environment quality index does not turn into a bureaucratic "struggle for indicators", but becomes a real tool for improving the quality of life, helping to create a healthy competitive field, where the main engine is awareness of the responsibility of the administration and residents of the region for the prestige of their region. The most reliable guarantee of this is the inclusion of the population in the discussion of landscaping projects, in the process of transparent selection of these projects and monitoring their further implementation. It should be noted that the deliberative, advisory tools used in making such decisions are not a favor that the authorities render to the population, but a legal imperative that must be fulfilled.  Article 28 of Federal Law No. 131-FZ of October 6, 2003 "On the General Principles of the Organization of Local Self-government in the Russian Federation" states that draft master plans, draft rules of land use and development, projects of territory planning, projects of land surveying, draft rules of landscaping must go through the procedure of public hearings. Traditional public discussions, which today, unfortunately, have turned into an extremely formalized, routine event "for show", need a qualitative transformation. Online voting could restart this process, making it more convenient and efficient.

The task of coordinating the actions of regional and municipal authorities, initiative groups of the public and emerging project teams remains a priority. To this day, regional Internet portals of state authorities are mainly used as information stands, a database of services and "mailboxes". Equitable, effective and transparent feedback remains one of the urgent and still unresolved tasks. In their context, popular online voting demonstrates high potential, good opportunities, and is a reliable means of achieving a broad public consensus. This does not contradict the electoral culture and conventional features of Russians, who traditionally focus their actions on the "majority opinion". People's online voting on a broad regional and municipal agenda should not become a palliative tool, but a permanent institution. Russia has positive experience in this area, for example, the Moscow platform "Active Citizen". Online voting can be institutionalized by making appropriate amendments to Federal Law No. 8-FZ of February 9, 2009 "On Ensuring access to information on the activities of State Bodies and local Governments." In 2022, significant amendments have already been made to the law aimed at using official Internet portals to establish effective online communication with the public.

Popular online voting has proved its viability and prospects as a modern and effective form of interaction between government and society, as a tool for direct participation of citizens in solving pressing problems.

Notes

1 "Digital breakthrough". Ella Pamfilova – on the development of the electoral system in Russia. // TASS. September 29, 2020 URL: https://tass.ru/opinions/10376477 ?ysclid=lph414l8zg884688519 (accessed 03.12.2023).

2 Federal Law No. 103-FZ dated 05/29/2019 "On conducting an experiment on the organization and implementation of remote electronic voting in the elections of deputies of the Moscow City Duma of the seventh convocation"// Official publication of legal acts. URL: http://publication.pravo.gov.ru/Document/View/0001201905290064 (date of application: 04.12.2023).

3 Russian presidential elections will be held on March 17, 2024 // Parliamentary Gazette. 07 Dec. 2023: URL: https://www.pnp.ru/politics/vybory-prezidenta-rossii-proydut-17-marta-2024-goda.html (date of application: 08.12.2023).

4 Comfortable environment: assessments of residents of Russian cities // VTSIOM News, July 24, 2023 URL: https://wciom.ru/analytical-reviews/analiticheskii-obzor/komfortnaja-sreda-ocenki-zhitelei-rossiiskikh-gorodov?ysclid=lplcysgl27302234684 (accessed 03.12.2023).

5 VTsIOM found out that Russians consider the main national goal // RIA Novosti, 07/11/2023. URL: https://ria.ru/20230711/rossiya-1883484912.html ?ysclid=lpk1ed3jtu896997913 (accessed: 11/29/2023).

6 Federal project "Formation of an urban comfortable environment // Project Directorate of the Ministry of Construction of Russia. URL: https://pdminstroy.ru/federalniy-proekt-fkgs (date of application: 11/28/2023).

7 Comfortable environment: assessments of residents of Russian cities // VTSIOM News, July 24, 2023 URL: https://wciom.ru/analytical-reviews/analiticheskii-obzor/komfortnaja-sreda-ocenki-zhitelei-rossiiskikh-gorodov?ysclid=lplcysgl27302234684 (accessed: 11/30/2023).

8 The program "People's Budget" was launched in the Kostroma region // Sev. pravda. June 11, 2020 URL: https://севернаяправда .Russian Federation/2020/06/14349 (date of application: 12/01/2023).

9 VTSIOM: Improving the quality of the urban environment and improving the road network are among the most noticeable positive changes for Russians // National Priorities. July 11, 2023 URL: https://национальныеприоритеты .Russian Federation/news/vtsiom-national-goals-june-2023/?ysclid=lpk0t1ypv8646681224 (accessed 01.11.2023).

10 Marat Khusnullin: About 6.5 million Russians have already taken part in voting for landscaping facilities // The Russian government. May 03, 2023 URL: http://government.ru/projects/selection/649/48400 / (accessed: 11/29/2023).

11 Data taken from the portal https://XX.gorodsreda.ru , where XX is the region number. So, the link https://44.gorodsreda.ru/result-voting contains the results of voting in the Kostroma region. The portal gives you the opportunity to see: 1) municipalities participating in the project; 2) the number of objects submitted for the competition; 3) the number of objects recognized as winners; 4) the number of votes for each object (or design project). The data is for 2022 and 2023. (an official reporting document is attached to the page of each object – an appendix of the protocol on the results of voting). It is important to note that the accuracy of the data from the official voting portal (link above) does not reach 100%. There are municipalities in which the number of votes reflected on the page of a particular object on the site does not match the number of votes in the document application, however, these discrepancies are not too significant (usually ± several dozen votes, no more than 100). For all regions, except the Voronezh Region, the values entered in the official protocols (pdf files attached to the pages of each object) were taken into account; for the Voronezh Region, the data of the site itself https://36.gorodsreda.ru/result-voting . There are mentions of individual results for 2021 in the public domain, but it is difficult to verify their reliability, so the data were not included in the table.

12 Percent of the voting participants were calculated depending on the total population of the region, although citizens can take part in voting only from the age of 14 (in the passport of the federal project there are words about taking into account "the share of citizens who took part in solving issues of urban environment development from the total number of citizens aged 14 and over", but in the reports according to the results of the voting, there is no such data). Due to these circumstances, the real percentage of citizens eligible to vote and who took part in the voting is higher than shown in the table.

13 The city of Moscow is a special region in this group. Here, online voting for the formation of a comfortable urban environment takes place on a separate "Active Citizen" platform, and this is done permanently, and not on specific dates, as it happens on the "Urban Environment" platform. That is, new objects periodically appear in the database, replacing those that have been voted on. Therefore, it is difficult to find structured, period-by-period statistical data, including the number of citizens who voted. According to approximate estimates, more than 3,000 facilities were improved in Moscow in 2022, and more than 2,000 in 2023.

14 Formation of a comfortable urban environment // National projects of the Russian Federation URL: https://национальныепроекты .RF/projects/zhile-i-gorodskaya-sreda/blagoustroystvo (accessed 03.11.2023).

15 New life of beautiful cities: what landscaping gives // National projects of the Russian Federation. July 26, 2023 URL: https://национальныепроекты .Russian Federation/news/novaya-zhizn-krasivykh-gorodov-chto-daet-blagoustroystvo (accessed 11/28/2023).

16 Urban environment as a miracle: an expert and analytical report // National Projects of the Russian Federation. July 26, 2023 URL: https://национальныепроекты .Russian Federation/news/novaya-zhizn-krasivykh-gorodov-chto-daet-blagoustroystvo (accessed 11/28/2023).

17 The worst city in Russia to live in 2023 // Touristam. com. URL: https://touristam.com/samiy-hudshiy-gorod-v-rossii.html (date of application: 12/01/2023).

18 The urban Environment Quality Index is a tool for assessing the quality of the material urban environment and the conditions of its formation // Housing and urban environment. National projects of Russia. URL: https://индекс-городов .RF/#/ (date of application: 03.11.2023).

19 Formation of a comfortable urban environment // National projects of the Russian Federation. URL: https://национальныепроекты .RF/projects/zhile-i-gorodskaya-sreda/blagoustroystvo (accessed 02.12.2023).