Elections

Any Russian citizen over the age of 18 is eligible to vote in the election for the Representative of Russians in the UK. Due to current technological limitations, it is not possible to restrict voting solely to Russians residing in the UK without first collecting detailed information about the electorate. As a result, we have decided not to impose a geographical restriction, even though the election pertains specifically to the UK APPG.

Currently, the only cost associated with voting is the blockchain transaction (gas) fee, which is approximately $0.003 per vote. Therefore, if 50,000 Russians participate, the total cost would be around $150. These expenses will be covered using RDS funds raised through merchandise sales.

If additional costs arise—such as advertising, event expenses for debates or candidate speeches, or any other costs related to facilitating the election—the sources and use of these funds will be transparently accounted for on this page.

We will use the Runoff Voting (Two-Round System) to elect a representative because it ensures that the winner has broad majority support, while remaining simple, transparent, and familiar to most voters.

The Runoff Voting system elects a winner by holding a second round between the top two candidates if no one achieves a majority in the first round.

No. Since this is the first run of such elections using a new and unfamiliar technology, we don’t expect high awareness or trust yet. The goal is to introduce the process, build understanding, and lay the foundation for broader participation in the future.

Anyone who is a Russian citizen living in the UK is eligible to run, provided they submit a manifesto or clearly outline their program and intentions for the position.

There is no centralized database containing voters' information, so it cannot be hacked or leaked. For more details, please see the White Paper by Freedom Tool, which explains Zero-Knowledge Proofs and how they protect privacy. You can also find information about the Freedom Tool audit here.

1. To choose a representative who will voice the interests and concerns of the Russian community in the UK.

2. To give Russians the opportunity to exercise their right to vote and influence politics.

3. To shift from popularity-based opinion leaders to legitimately elected representatives with a proper mandate.

4. To enable fair competition between candidates and give Russians the chance to evaluate politicians based on their programs and hold them accountable.

5. To confirm that Russians value democracy and are committed to building a foundation for fair elections in the future.

6. To set a precedent for secure, technology-driven voting in diaspora elections, enabling Russians in other countries to hold fair and transparent elections as well.

7. To enable genuine representation by ensuring politicians from foreign countries engage with officially elected representatives of Russians, rather than self-appointed ones.

8. To gather insights and feedback that can improve future electoral initiatives.

9. To test the election mechanism, ensure its security, audit the results for fairness, and prepare it for wider-scale use in the future.