On May 6, the second meeting of the Central Referendum Commission on the organization and holding of the republican referendum was held

On May 6 this year the second meeting of the Central Referendum Commission was held online.

The meeting was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry, media as well as in the videoconferencing mode - territorial referendum commissions.

In the second part of the meeting, the following issues were considered:

1. On establishing forms of documents for the republican referendum scheduled for June 5, 2022 and the procedure for storing documents;

2. On issues of informing during the republican referendum scheduled for June 5, 2022;

3. On organization of work with lists of citizens eligible to participate in the republican referendum scheduled for June 5, 2022;

4. On some issues of producing ballots for voting during the republican referendum scheduled for June 5, 2022;

5. On some issues of issuing and recording absentee certificates for the right to vote during the republican referendum scheduled for June 5, 2022;

6. On ensuring conditions for persons with disabilities during the republican referendum scheduled for June 5, 2022.

Deputy Chairman of the Central Commission for the Referendum Konstantin Petrov delivered a report on the first item on the agenda.

In his report, he noted that, in accordance with subparagraph 7) of paragraph 1 of Article 21 of the Constitutional Act on the Republican Referendum, the Central Referendum Commission establishes forms and texts of ballot papers, voter lists, and other documents necessary for holding a referendum; procedure for keeping referendum documents.

Based on norms of the Constitutional Act, a decision «On establishing the forms of documents for the republican referendum scheduled for June 5, 2022» of the Central Referendum Commission was adopted.

The resolution established 8 forms of documents for holding a republican referendum.

1. The form of the list of citizens who have the right to participate in the republican referendum. The list shall indicate the surname, name, patronymic, year of birth (at the age of eighteen - an additional day and month), individual identification number and address of the place of residence of citizens entitled to participate in the referendum;

2. The form of the protocol of the precinct referendum commission on the opening of the precinct. The protocol provides for the issues of establishing readiness of the referendum precinct for voting: sealing the ballot boxes, the number of ballots for voting at the polling station, distribution of voting ballots for issuance by members of the commission.

3. The form of the protocol of the Precinct Referendum Commission on the Results of Voting at the Precinct;

4. The form of the protocol of the district, city commission of the referendum on the results of voting on the territory of the corresponding administrative-territorial unit;

5. The form of the protocol of the regional, cities of republican significance and the capital of the referendum commission on the results of voting in the territory of the corresponding administrative-territorial unit;

6. The form of the protocol of the Central Referendum Commission on the results of the referendum. The Central Referendum Commission establishes the results on the basis of the submitted protocols on the voting results of the commissions of referendums of regions, cities of republican significance and the capital.

7. The form of certificate of an observer of a foreign state or international organization (draft resolution "On approval of Rules for the certification of powers of representatives of public associations of the Republic of Kazakhstan, observers from foreign states and international organizations during the republican referendum" is duly posted on the Internet portal of open regulatory legal acts).

8. The form of notification of the territorial referendum commission on the number of polling stations and the number of citizens entitled to participate in the republican referendum.

Nurlan Abdirov noted on the second issue of the agenda that the referendum commissions inform citizens about their work on organizing the referendum, about the formation of polling stations, the composition, location and working hours of the commissions, lists of citizens eligible to participate in the referendum.

Anastassiya Shchegortsova, a member of the Central Commission for the Referendum, made a report on this issue on the agenda.

She noted that in accordance with the powers provided for by subparagraph 9) of paragraph 1 of Article 21 of the Constitutional Act, the Central Referendum Commission informs citizens about the preparation of the referendum.

To implement this rule, all meetings are held online through the Internet resource and Youtube channel of the Commission with sign language translation. There is also a Telegram channel.

Participation of accredited mass media representatives is ensured for all events of the Central Referendum Commission. After each meeting, it is planned to hold briefings for journalists as part of the agenda.

For the purpose of information and explanatory work, on the order of the Central Referendum Commission, it is planned to produce a number of materials with information about the upcoming republican referendum. These are audio, videos, internet banners, modules, billboards.

Audiovisual and printed materials will be placed in the republican and regional mass media. Also, territorial referendum commissions are recommended to use them in public places on demonstration screens.

In addition, information banners about holding of the republican referendum will be posted on the Internet resources of the central state and local executive bodies.

A. Shchegortsova also noted that legislation provides for the work of precinct commissions to notify the time and place of voting of citizens during the republican referendum. This work begins on May 25 of this year. A number of informational materials must be posted in a conspicuous place in the polling station:

-   the text of the issue submitted to the referendum;

-   draft Act of the Republic of Kazakhstan "On amendments and additions to the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan".

Additionally, within the framework of informing Central Commission of the referendum, together with the authorized body in the field of digitalization, the issue of SMS distribution is being worked out. In the SMS distribution, Kazakhstanis will be asked to check themselves in the lists of citizens who have the right to participate in the republican referendum.

Deputy Chairman of the Central Referendum Commission Konstantin Petrov delivered a report on the third item on the agenda.

In his report, he submitted a draft resolution for consideration by the members of the Central Referendum Commission «On organization of work with lists of citizens eligible to participate in the republican referendum scheduled for June 5, 2022», which contains instructions to local executive bodies, as well as regional referendum commissions. Based on the results of consideration of draft, the resolution was unanimously adopted by the members of the Central Referendum Commission.

Lists of citizens who have right to participate in the republican referendum are compiled by the relevant local executive bodies (akimats), based on their registration at the place of residence on the territory of a particular polling station.

The place of residence is the place of permanent registration. Citizens with temporary registration can be included in lists only on the basis of their application.

To exercise this right, during the period of organizing the referendum, local executive bodies are recommended to organize online services, Call-centers, Internet resources to inform citizens about being included in the voter list at the polling station.

Lists of citizens who have the right to participate in the republican referendum for each referendum precinct are submitted by the relevant akim according to the act to the referendum election commission twenty days before the start of voting, i.e. May 15.

Lists of citizens who have the right to participate in a republican referendum in referendum precincts formed at the place of residence of citizens, fifteen days before voting day, i.e. from May 20, the relevant election commissions are presented to voters for review.

Citizens are provided with the opportunity to get acquainted with the lists in the premises of the relevant precinct commissions, as well as to check the correctness of the data entered in them about themselves.

Lists of citizens who have the right to participate in a republican referendum in polling stations formed in places of temporary residence of citizens and there are 553 such stations in the republic are submitted for review five days before voting day.

These are plots created: in rest homes, sanatoriums, stationary medical and preventive institutions; in the locations of citizens located in remote and hard-to-reach areas, in areas of transhumance; in pre-trial detention centers and temporary detention facilities; in military units.

Lists of citizens in these districts are compiled on the basis of data submitted by commanders of military units, heads of these institutions, and relevant akims.

In addition, sections will be formed at the representative offices of the Republic of Kazakhstan in 51 foreign countries. In these polling stations, the lists include all citizens who have an active right to vote, who live or are on a long-term business trip abroad in the relevant foreign state and who have valid passports of a citizen of the Republic.

Citizens of the Republic who arrived in foreign states on private invitations, on official, business and tourist trips, when they apply to the precinct commission and if they have a valid passport of a citizen of the Republic of Kazakhstan, are also included in the list.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs provides assistance to precinct commissions located outside the Republic of Kazakhstan for inclusion in the lists of our citizens who are abroad.

In general, local executive bodies, together with referendum commissions, must take all measures to ensure that a citizen who comes to the polling station on the day of the referendum finds himself on the list and is able to freely exercise his right guaranteed by the Constitution, Konstantin Petrov noted.

Also, within the framework of the issue, Vice Minister of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry Asset Turysov made a comment on the organization of work with lists of citizens eligible to participate in the republican referendum.

Following the consideration of this agenda item, Nurlan Abdirov emphasized that the formation of the most complete and reliable lists should be considered not only as a function of local executive bodies but also as a joint duty of akims, territorial referendum commissions and every citizen.

Nurlan Abdirov noted that in this regard, we consider that it is necessary to accept the address of the Central Referendum Commission to citizens on manifestation of legal literacy and the exercise of their right to participate in the republican referendum! He also pointed that it is necessary to take timely legally significant actions necessary to include citizens in the voting lists.

Secretary of the Central Referendum Commission Mukhtar Yerman made a report on the fourth issue of the meeting.

He said that according to subparagraph 7) of paragraph 1 of Article 21 and paragraph 4 of Article 27 of the Constitutional Act of the Republic of Kazakhstan “On the Republican Referendum”, the Central Referendum Commission, in accordance with its powers, establishes: the form and text of the voting ballot; the order in which they are made.

In this regard, the members of the Central Referendum Commission adopted a resolution «On some issues of producing ballots for voting during the republican referendum scheduled for June 5, 2022».

The resolution prepared forms and text of the voting ballot in the state language and Russian. The security level of the voting ballot was also established which provides for printing methods of protection applied by offset printing, color, printing font.

The ballot paper contains wording of the question raised and options for the voter's answer, and they are produced in an amount equal to the number of citizens included in the list of citizens who have the right to participate in the referendum, with a reserve of one percent.

Voting ballots are printed in Kazakh and Russian, as well as in the language of the majority of the population densely residing in the territory of the respective administrative-territorial unit.

The norm of the Constitutional Act "On the Republican Referendum" establishes that precinct referendum commissions are provided with ballot papers no later than seven days before it is held.

Taking into account the timing of the campaign, the production of ballots for voting is entrusted to regional, cities of republican significance and the capital referendum commissions.

The number of ballots with a reserve of one percent will be established at a separate meeting, after the local executive bodies submit lists of citizens eligible to participate in the referendum to the referendum commission (20 days before voting day).

Assylbek Smagulov, a member of the Central Referendum Commission, made a report on the fifth issue. He noted that Constitutional Act "On Elections in the Republic of Kazakhstan" provides for the right of citizens, when changing their place of residence, to vote by absentee ballot for the right to vote.

In this regard, in order to implement the norms of the Constitutional Act, the Central Referendum Commission adopted a resolution «On some issues of issuing and recording absentee certificates for the right to vote during the republican referendum scheduled for June 5, 2022».

The resolution determined that during the republican referendum on June 5, 2022, the issuance and registration of absentee certificates for the right to vote are carried out in accordance with the Rules for the issuance and registration of absentee certificates for the right to vote, approved by the Resolution of the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Kazakhstan dated April 8, 2009 No. 161/306.

Additionally, the form of an absentee certificate for the right to vote in the republican referendum on June 5, 2022 has been established.

Regional commissions, cities of republican significance and the capital of the Republic shall: establish the required number of absentee certificates for the right to vote and ensure their production at the rate of not more than one percent of the total number of voters; distribute and transfer absentee certificates to the relevant district, city, district commissions in the city no later than twenty days before voting day.

Absentee ballots have a five-digit serial number. All transfers are made out by an act, which is signed by the chairman and secretary of the higher and lower commissions, after which it is certified by their seals. There are reports on the use of absentee ballots.

Upon presentation of an absentee certificate for the right to vote, the precinct election commission on voting day includes the voter in the list of voters at the polling station at the place of his stay.

Absentee certificates are not issued to citizens wishing to vote in another polling station within the same locality. Lost absentee certificates are not restored. Duplicate absentee certificates will not be issued.

Chairman of the Central Referendum Commission Nurlan Abdirov drew the attention of the territorial commissions of regions, cities of republican significance and the capital of the republic to ensuring the established procedure for the production and accounting of absentee ballots.

A member of the Central Referendum Commission Shavkhat Utemisov made a report on the sixth issue on the agenda.

He noted that, in accordance with paragraph 1-1 of Article 39 of the Constitutional Act "On Elections in the Republic of Kazakhstan" when equipping a polling place, conditions must be provided for unhindered access of voters who are citizens with disabilities and voting in it.

On the basis of the norms of the Constitutional Act a decision of the Central Referendum Commission «On ensuring conditions for persons with disabilities during the republican referendum scheduled for June 5, 2022» was adopted.

The resolution establishes that in order to organize a high-quality referendum, local executive bodies need to take measures to ensure conditions for people with disabilities at the polling stations to exercise their electoral rights.

In addition, the requirements of relevant Instructions and Recommendations must be met, including: at the entrance to the building where voting premises are located, it is also necessary to provide handrails, ramps, as well as other necessary devices (temporary ones are allowed); voting rooms are provided with maximum accessibility for persons with disabilities should be located on the first floors or have lifting mechanisms for moving to other floors.

In the premises for voting, it is necessary to provide: various tactile indicators (if possible); a booth for secret voting, taking into account the access of voters with impaired functions of the musculoskeletal system, including those using wheelchairs; a specially equipped place (corner) for persons with disabilities, containing: a computer with a monitor (diagonal of at least 54 centimeters) in which the information specified in paragraph 6 of this Instruction must be stored in a format adapted for persons with disabilities; headphones; additional lighting, magnifiers.

Chairman of the Central Referendum Commission Nurlan Abdirov noted that all measures should be provided for the exercise by citizens with disabilities of the right to vote and provide access to voting stations.

Nurlan Abdirov emphasized that during trips to the regions the active life position of people with disabilities and their desire for full participation in the socio-political processes in the country was observed. Local executive bodies, local commissions should be clearly guided by both international conventions and the requirements of national legislation.