Oct. 20, 2015, 3 a.m.
(PHOTO: Intent)
<span>On October 25, 2015, Ukraine will hold regular local elections</span><span>. The election campaign is already characterized by numerous violations of the electoral law, widespread use of populist promises, bribery of voters, and illegal campaigning. In such a situation, it is quite difficult for a voter to navigate and make an informed choice.</span>
On October 25, 2015, Ukraine will hold regular local elections. The election campaign is already characterized by numerous violations of the electoral law, widespread use of populist promises, bribery of voters, and illegal campaigning. In such a situation, it is quite difficult for a voter to navigate and make an informed choice.
The effective exercise and protection of the right to vote in local elections is significantly complicated by brand new legislation adopted shortly before the start of the election process and, accordingly, not tested in practice. In particular, we are talking about the Law of Ukraine "On Local Elections" of July 14, 2015 and a significant array of bylaws. The introduction of new approaches to the electoral system and changes in many electoral procedures by this Law significantly complicates the voter's ability to make their choice and implement it at the polling station.
Given these conditions, in order to help voters understand the complex legal framework and fully exercise their right to vote in the 2015 local elections, the Odesa regional organization of the NGO "Committee of Voters of Ukraine" has traditionally prepared a number of practical tips and recommendations.
FEATURES OF THE LOCAL ELECTIONS IN 2015
Electoral system. The new law provides for the use of several different electoral systems. Village and settlement councils will be elected in single-member constituencies. District councils, district councils in cities, city and regional councils will be elected under the proportional representation system with preferences. Mayors of cities with up to 90 thousand voters will be elected under the majority system of relative majority, while mayors of larger cities will be elected under the majority system of absolute majority.
Reducing the number of deputies in local councils. In general, the new legislation provides for a 30% reduction in the number of deputies in local councils of Ukraine on average (according to the number of voters). For example, the Odesa City Council will be reduced to 64 deputies, and the Odesa Regional Council to 84 deputies.
Party lists are effectively closed. The ballot paper will contain the names of 1 or 2 candidates from a particular party (after its name), but the voter will be able to check only the box next to that party, not individual candidates from it. That is, he will have only one vote, and this vote can be cast only for the party, which actually indicates closed party lists.
Second round in big cities. If on October 25, in the mayoral elections in cities with more than 90 thousand registered voters, a candidate does not receive 50% + 1 vote, there will be a second round of voting, which will take place on November 8 or 15.
Gender quotas. The new law introduces gender quotas for the representation of women and men in party election lists - at least 30% of people of the same sex.
Local elections will not be held throughout Ukraine. For obvious reasons, local elections will not be held in the annexed Crimea and the occupied areas of Donbas that are not controlled by the Ukrainian authorities.
Internally displaced persons do not vote. The state has failed to ensure the right to vote for about 1.2 million IDPs. They cannot be included in the voter lists at the address of their actual place of residence. They are also deprived of the opportunity to exercise their right to vote in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, parts of Luhansk and Donetsk regions not controlled by the Ukrainian authorities, as local elections to the Ukrainian authorities will not be held in these areas.
Inability to change the place of voting. The 2015 local elections do not provide for the right of any voter to change the place of voting due to business trips, relocation, work, study, etc. A voter who is outside the village, town, or city where he or she lives on election day will not be able to vote (except if he or she is in a hospital in that or another locality).
WHO ELECTS WHOM
In the 2015 local elections, voters will elect village, town and city mayors, as well as members of various local councils: regional council, district council, city council, district council in the city (in cities with district divisions), settlement and village councils.
Theright to nominate candidates for deputies of oblast, rayon, city, rayon councils is exercised by citizens only through local organizations of political parties. Self-nomination is allowed only for candidates for village, town and city mayors, as well as candidates for deputies of village and town councils.
The right to vote in local elections is granted to legally capable citizens of Ukraine who are 18 years of age on the election day and belong to the respective territorial communities (gromada). In other words, such persons must reside (be registered) within the respective electoral district, be present at their address on election day and be included in the voter lists.
Please note: A citizen's affiliation with the respective territorial community and residence in the respective territory is determined by his/her registered place of residence.
They are not entitled to vote in the 2015 local elections (as they are considered not to belong to any territorial community):
- conscripts (contract servicemen have this right if they are in their military unit at the address where they are registered on election day)
- internally displaced persons (i.e. IDPs who do not have their place of residence registered at the address of their new home);
- citizens of Ukraine residing abroad;
- persons recognized by the court as incapacitated;
- Citizens of Ukraine who are imprisoned by a court sentence.
Please note: Persons in pre-trial detention centers will not be able to vote either, as polling stations are not formed in such institutions, as well as in prisons.
VOTER LISTS
One of the prerequisites for exercising the right to vote in elections is inclusion in the voter list. Unfortunately, many voters were unable to participate in the last elections due to problems with the voter lists - some were not on the lists at all, some were listed with incorrect surnames, names, addresses, etc. To avoid this, you need to check your data in the State Register of Voters and the voter lists created on its basis for the 2015 elections in advance. If you find any problems with your inclusion in the list, you should immediately resolve them.
It should be noted that by October 14, 2015, inclusive, the precinct election commission must send or otherwise deliver to each voter a personalized invitation with the relevant information.
Please note: It is mandatory to check the information in the State Register of Voters or voter lists in case
There are several ways to check your data in the voter list:
1) Without leaving home. Today, the online service "Personal Voter's Account", which is available on the official website of the State Register of Voters www.drv.gov.ua, is working effectively. After simple registration procedures, you need to fill out a request within a few minutes and the next day you will receive information about your presence in the voter register and the address of the polling station by e-mail.
2) Through the body that maintains the voter register. The most effective method is to apply directly to the department of the State Register of Voters at the place of residence (located in the district state administration or city council) with your passport. There you can find out whether you are on the voter list and what your voting address is.
3) Through the precinct election commission. Traditionally, voter lists can be checked at the precinct election commission. Starting from October 12, 2015, every voter (in case of hospitalization - from October 15) has the right to familiarize himself/herself with the preliminary voter list at the premises of the precinct election commission and check the accuracy of the information entered in it. The addresses of the precinct election commissions can be found on the website of the Central Election Commission www.cvk.gov.ua in the section "Web Display of the Information and Analytical System "Local Elections 2015".
If a voter finds any inaccuracies in the voter list but misses the deadline for submitting a relevant application to the precinct election commission or the body maintaining the State Register of Voters, he/she may correct it by filing a claim for clarification of the voter list with the local court by October 22, 2015 inclusive.
Please note: No fee is payable for filing a claim to clarify the voter list. The voter must submit such a court decision to the respective polling station commission by 6 p.m. on October 24, 2015. If you do not bring the court decision to your PEC by this time, you will not be able to vote.
Please note! On October 23, 24 and 25, it is impossible to appeal against inaccuracies in the voter list. On the election day, October 25, 2015, no changes will be made to the voter list, even on the basis of a court decision.
The precinct election commission has the right only to correct inaccuracies and technical errors in the revised voter list - misspelling of the surname, first name, patronymic, date of birth, house or apartment number of the place of residence.
Technically, such a correction is certified by the signature of the chairman or deputy chairman or secretary of the precinct commission. However, such changes are made only if it is clear that the voter list includes the voter who arrived at the polling station to vote.
VOTING
Voting will take place on Sunday, October 25, 2015, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. without breaks.
To participate in the voting, you must have a passport or a temporary certificate of a citizen of Ukraine. You will not be able to vote without presenting these documents!
A person is not entitled to be issued ballots if he/she:
Attention: Voting for other persons (including relatives, even if the voter presents their documents) is prohibited and is a crime.
During the voting at the polling station, 2 members of the precinct election commission (PEC) give the voter the opportunity to vote:
The voter signs the voter list for receiving ballots and also signs in the designated place on the control ballot of each ballot. After that, a member of the election commission gives the voter ballots for voting.
Attention: Your signatures are not a mere formality - by doing so, you "close" the possibility for someone to receive a ballot instead of you. Be careful not to make any other marks on the ballot paper, otherwise it may be declared invalid!
The voter personally fills out the ballots in the secret voting booth and personally puts the ballots in the ballot box.
Photographing, video recording in any way of the results of the expression of voters' will in the secret voting booth, as well as demonstration of the results of the expression of will by the voter in the voting room are prohibited and constitute a violation of the secrecy of the vote.
Attention: A voter has no right to transfer his/her ballots to other persons or take them outside the voting room. This is a crime!
The voter makes a plus sign (+) or other mark on the ballot paper to indicate his/her will. A voter may vote for only one local party organization, one candidate for deputy in the respective single-member constituency, and one candidate for the position of village, town, or city mayor, respectively.
Please note: There will be no "against all" box in the ballots, and voters may vote for only one candidate or party. If you tick any other boxes or write any "wishes" or "advice" to the candidates, your ballot may be invalidated.
If a voter makes a mistake while filling out a ballot, he/she has the right to immediately apply in writing to the PEC members who issued the ballot with a request to issue another ballot.
Note: Another ballot paper is issued only once and only in exchange for the spoiled one.
A voter who is included in the list of voters at a polling station but is unable to move independently due to age, disability or health condition is given the opportunity to vote at the place of residence ("at home") by the PEC.
You can vote "at home" in two cases:
1) Without a decision of the precinct commission. If the voter list contains a mark "NSP" - permanently unable to move independently (unless such a voter notifies the commission of his/her desire to vote at the polling station by 12 o'clock on October 24, 2015).
2) By the decision of the polling station commission. This applies to voters who are temporarily unable to move independently, based on their application and a medical certificate on their health condition submitted to the PEC, with a request to ensure voting at their place of residence. Such an application indicating the voter's place of residence may be submitted in person, by mail or through other persons no later than 20:00 on 23.10.2015.
PEC members are obliged to verify the fact of the voter's temporary inability to move independently. In case of non-confirmation of this fact, the commission decides to refuse to provide this voter with the opportunity to vote at the place of residence.
If a voter is admitted to a hospital on the eve of election day and will stay there until election day inclusive, he/she is included in the voter lists at a special polling station, if it is established in that hospital.
Attention: A voter is entitled to receive a ballot in local elections only if he/she lives in the territory of this region (district, city, district in a city, village, settlement) and the hospital where he/she is staying is within the same constituency for the election of deputies as the voter's residence where he/she is registered.
DETERMINATION OF WINNERS
In the election of village, town, city mayors (cities with up to 90 thousand voters), as well as in the election of deputies of village and town councils, the candidate who received the most votes in relation to other candidates in the constituency is recognized as the elected one.
In the election of the mayor of a city (city with more than 90 thousand voters), the candidate who receives an absolute majority of votes compared to other candidates (i.e. 50% + 1 vote of voters who participated in the voting) is recognized as elected. Otherwise, a second round of mayoral elections is scheduled for November 8 or 15, 2015, in which the 2 candidates who received the most votes participate. According to the results of the 2nd round, the candidate who received the most votes relative to the other candidate wins.
The most complicated and confusing mechanism for determining the winners is used in the elections of deputies to regional, district, city, and district councils. The right to participate in the distribution of mandates is granted to the party supported by more than 5% of voters who took part in the voting (provided that the number of votes received exceeds the electoral quota). The electoral quota is calculated by dividing the total number of votes cast for the parties that received 5% of the votes by a number equal to the number of mandates in a particular council.
Note: The first number on a party's electoral list is guaranteed to receive a mandate if his or her party passes the five percent threshold and the number of votes cast for it exceeds the electoral quota.
The order of priority of candidates on the electoral list of a party entitled to participate in the distribution of mandates in the council in this party's electoral list is arranged in the order of decreasing percentage of votes cast for the respective party in the electoral district to which the candidates were assigned, of the total number of votes cast for all parties in the respective districts.
Important! At the same time, the elected candidate may not win in the constituency, taking 2nd, 3rd or 4th place, but will receive a mandate if his party overcomes the 5% threshold and gains more votes than the electoral quota. It may also happen that no candidate will be elected from a certain district, and several from another.
HOW TO PROTECT YOUR VOTE?
The current realities of the electoral process require voters not only to effectively exercise their right to vote, but also to protect their choice. Despite the existence of administrative and criminal liability, the electoral rights of citizens are often violated. The arsenal of election fraud and abuse is wide and has long been known, carried out both with and without the help of voters.
Attention: The current legislation establishes criminal liability for bribery of voters - both for the offerer and the acceptor!
Offering, promising or giving an undue advantage to a voter for performing or failing to perform any actions related to the direct exercise of his/her voting rights (refusal to vote, voting at a polling station more than once, voting for a particular candidate in the elections, candidates from a local organization of a political party or refusal to vote, transfer of a ballot paper to another person), shall be punishable by restraint of liberty for up to 3 years or imprisonment for up to 3 years with deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for a term of 1 to 3 years (Art. 2, 4 of Article 160 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
Acceptance of such offers by a voter for himself or herself or a third party of an unlawful benefit, regardless of the actual expression of the person's will and the results of the vote, is punishable by a fine of 100 to 300 tax-free minimum incomes (UAH 1700-5100) or correctional labor for up to 2 years, or restraint of liberty for the same period (part 1 of Article 160 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine);
Bribery of voters, election campaigning by providing enterprises, institutions, organizations with undue advantage or free goods (except for goods containing visual images of the name, symbols of the flag of a political party, the value of which does not exceed UAH 60.9), works, services is punishable by restraint of liberty for a term of 2 to 4 years or imprisonment for a term of 2 to 4 years with deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for a term of 1 to 3 years. (Part 3 of Article 160 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine);
However, falsifications and violations can be countered! The first and foremost way to protect your voting rights and counter fraud is legal literacy and knowledge of your rights, which will help prevent or stop many violations at the initial stage.
If an election law violation has been committed against you or you have witnessed an offense, try to record it (video, photo, cell phone), save possible material evidence, and find witnesses. Later, you can appeal the violation of your voting rights to the territorial or precinct election commission or to the court, as well as to law enforcement agencies.
Tell your family, friends and acquaintances what to do before and on the day of the election on October 25, 2015, do not sell your vote and do not participate in fraud!
Be sure to come to your polling station on election day, October 25, 2015 (from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.) and cast your vote. This is the main and reliable way to resist possible fraud and violations!
The legal department of the
of Odesa regional organization of
of the All-Ukrainian NGO "Committee of Voters of Ukraine"
Oct. 20, 2025
Small hromadas of Odesa Oblast: councils approach the 5th anniversary of their powers with what compositionOct. 14, 2025
This is a trend: Anatoliy Boyko suggests systematic approach to Trukhanov's suspensionSept. 29, 2025
Security of elections in Moldova was provided by Odessans