Municipal elections are those elections in which citizens cast their votes for candidates for representative bodies and for the head of the municipality. They will occupy leading positions during the period established by law. The concept of a municipality includes a territory uniting several settlements and managed by one local government, having one local budget.
The main regulation of these elections is carried out by federal legislation, and details are specified by laws on local self-government, as well as other charters of local self-government.
The same principles apply to municipal elections as to elections held at the Federation level. All citizens who have reached the age of 18 have the right to vote. Foreigners can also vote, provided that they live in the territory of the municipality constantly and timely pay taxes. Also, all residents aged 18 to 21 years can themselves be elected as deputies to the representative bodies of the municipality or to an elected post. Those citizens whom the court found insane or those who are in custody cannot vote in elections.
Municipal elections in our country are always direct. This means that citizens themselves, and not the bodies representing their interests, vote for candidates for the post of, for example, mayor. Voting, as during other elections, is held secretly, that is, no one can control who the voter voted for.
Municipal elections are characterized by periodicity and mandatory. Frequency is manifested in the prohibition to elect indefinitely, and compulsory in the prohibition to appoint other elected bodies (with the exception of small settlements).
In Russia, municipal elections are alternative, that is, there must be several candidates per seat. Also, all citizens are free in their decision to participate in elections or not.
After the date of the upcoming elections is set and announced, lists, polling stations, commissions and constituencies are created. All candidates run for specific constituencies. The number of candidates must be greater than the required number of deputies, otherwise the election cannot be considered alternative.
Each polling station (polling station) should be designed for no more than 3,000 people and located, for example, in a school or other public building. Naturally, the boundaries of the site cannot go beyond the boundaries of the district. All these rules are fixed in the legislation.
Election commissions are formed along with the creation of polling stations and constituencies. They are responsible for preparing for the elections and for their conduct. Several commissions are created: district, district and one territorial.
The compilation of voter lists occurs simultaneously with the creation of commissions. The head of the local administration compiles them, and the election commission checks and approves them. After this, the lists must be made public.
During congresses or meetings, parties nominate candidates and report their decision to the election commission in order to register their representatives. Only from this moment can agitation begin. It can be conducted by both the candidate himself and the party that nominated him, or even the voter.
The voter notes the selected candidate or list of candidates on the ballot. In Russia, the majority electoral system is used, according to which the winner is the one with the most votes.
There are cases when elections cannot be recognized as valid. Then the date of the repeated elections is established, during which other candidates can be nominated. This distinguishes them from re-voting, in which the composition of the candidates does not change.