State Award Policy and Departmental Employment-Related Marks of Distinction for Members of Election Commissions of the Russian Federation: Problems of Implementation

Elaev A.A.

Abstract

This article provides a comprehensive analysis of the legal and organizational problems of state incentive-based legal policy that arise when members of election commissions of the Russian Federation are awarded departmental employement-related marks of distinction. The study is relevant because approximately one million election organizers work on a non-professional (public-service) basis and have a unique status under constitutional law. Although they play a key role in ensuring the exercise of citizens’ electoral rights, this category of persons faces significant administrative barriers to accessing the system of departmental awards, which, after the 2016 reform, became a basis for conferring the title of "Veteran truda" ("Veteran of Labor"). The author examines in detail the evolution of the CEC of Russia’s award system and analyzes the legal architecture of awards, including the honorary badge "Za zaslugi v organizatsii vyborov" (“For Merit in the Organization of Elections”), the Certificate of Honor, and the medal “Za sodeistvie v organizatsii vyborov” (“For Assistance in the Organization of Elections”). A comparative analysis of statistical data and legal norms reveals a fundamental imbalance between the scale of the work performed by grassroots election organizers and their actual exclusion from the system of social incentives. From the standpoint of constitutional law, the article examines compliance with the principle of equality under Article 19 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation and with social guarantees under Article 7 for persons performing publicly significant functions on a non-professional basis. The conclusion sets out evidence-based proposals for improving award legislation by simplifying procedures, differentiating requirements for the calculation of service record, and making departmental awards more accessible to a broader range of election commission members.

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Introduction

The implementation of state award policy in the organization and conduct of elections and referendums, as well as in the exercise of other powers within the field of activity of election commissions in the Russian Federation, requires scholarly examination as part of the development of a theory of merited incentives in the Russian Federation. A.V.Malko and Ye.V.Tipikina [5] point to the absence of a unified theoretical basis for meritorious conduct as a ground for awards in law; this leads to divergent understandings of incentive-based legal norms and does not contribute to the formation of a unified system of state awards. The Soviet theoretical framework of incentive-based legal policy [1], while identifying a unified method of awarding as established in law, did not examine it at the departmental or sectoral level because the available empirical material was relatively limited.

As we have noted elsewhere [3], the implementation of state award policy should ensure uniform requirements for award recipients and support the formation of a unified system of award-related legal relations across all public authorities, rather than remain situational and dependent on the award-granting capacities of particular public administration actors.

The electoral system of the Russian Federation is a unique socio-legal phenomenon. According to official data, approximately one million people are involved in conducting elections in Russia and exercise their powers on a non-professional basis. Members of precinct election commissions (PECs) and territorial election commissions (TECs) who serve on a non-permanent basis perform an essential constitutional function – they ensure the exercise of citizens’ right to vote and to stand for election.

Article 32 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation guarantees citizens the right to participate in the administration of state affairs both directly and through their representatives. Election organizers serving on commissions at all levels act as key guarantors of the exercise of this constitutional right. At the same time, the overwhelming majority of them perform their duties on a non-professional basis, combining this activity with their primary employment.

Particular attention should be paid to the fact that members of election commissions with a deciding vote who serve on a non-permanent basis have a special constitutional and legal status. They are not state or municipal employees and do not receive a salary for their work, receiving only compensation during election campaigns; at the same time, they bear full responsibility for compliance with electoral legislation, the legality of the conduct of elections, and the counting of votes.

In these circumstances, the application of state award measures to members of election commissions at all levels must be correlated both with issues of state recognition of these individuals’ merits and with the provisions of social security law, which implement state social policy in the area of conferring the title of Veteran of Labor on persons who have received special state award measures.

Federal Law No. 388-FZ of December 29, 2015, "On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation", introduced a fundamental change to the approach to conferring the title of Veteran of Labor. July 1, 2016 marked a watershed in the history of the institution of Veterans of Labor, separating it into two qualitatively different periods. The Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation had to adapt its system of awards to the new federal requirements; this was reflected in Resolution No. 74/670-7 of February 15, 2017, which established the departmental labor distinction "Za zaslugi v organizatsii vyborov" ("For Merit in the Organization of Elections").

This article provides a comprehensive analysis of the problems involved in awarding members of election commissions all types of departmental awards, taking into account their special legal status, the non-permanent nature of their work, and the complex procedure for submitting award nominations and reviewing the relevant materials.

1. The CEC of Russia’s System of Awards: Legal Architecture and Types of Awards

1.1. Classification of Departmental Awards

The Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation has developed a multi-level system of awards that includes various types of awards, each with its own legal regulation and grounds for conferral.

The first level consists of awards that do not entitle the recipient to the title of "Veteran truda" ("Veteran of Labor"):

Certificate of Honor of the CEC of Russia;

Commendation of the CEC of Russia;

Letter of Appreciation of the CEC of Russia;

Commendation of the Chair of the CEC of Russia;

Medal "For Assistance in the Organization of Elections" (established in 2018).

The second level consists of awards that entitle the recipient to the title of Veteran of Labor:

Honorary Badge "For Merit in the Organization of Elections" (a departmental mark of distinction).

The third level consists of nominations for state awards of the Russian Federation:

Honorary title "Merited Worker of the Electoral System of the Russian Federation" (established by Executive Order of the President of the Russian Federation No. 322 of May 10, 2024);

other state awards of the Russian Federation.

It should be emphasized that, among the departmental awards listed above, only the Honorary Badge "For Merit in the Organization of Elections" entitles the recipient to the title of Veteran of Labor. All other types of awards awarded by the CEC of Russia have purely symbolic value and do not entail any social security consequences. It should also be noted that election commissions of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation have their own awards, which may or may not be included in the system of departmental marks of distinction of the respective constituent entity [4].

1.2. The Medal "For Assistance in the Organization of Elections": Legal Regime

The medal of the CEC of Russia "For Assistance in the Organization of Elections", established by Resolution No. 154/1263-7 of April 18, 2018, warrants particular attention. Under the Regulations on the medal, citizens of the Russian Federation, foreign citizens, and stateless persons may be awarded it for providing assistance and substantial support to election commissions in the organization and conduct of elections and referendums.

The nomination procedure for this medal includes the following stages:

an award nomination may be initiated by the Chair of the CEC of Russia, the Deputy Chairs, the Secretary, members of the CEC with a deciding vote, the Head of the CEC of Russia Administration, and election commissions of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation;

documents are received and registered by the Legal Department of the CEC of Russia Administration;

the documents are duplicated electronically using the "Kadry" ("Personnel") module of the SAS Vybory (State Automated System "Elections");

the decision to grant the award is made at a meeting of the CEC of Russia.

A critically important feature is that the Medal "For Assistance in the Organization of Elections" is not a departmental mark of distinction entitling the recipient to the title of Veteran of Labor. It functions solely as a form of symbolic recognition for persons who assist the electoral system and does not entail any social security consequences.

1.3. Certificate of Honor of the CEC of Russia: Evolution of Its Legal Regime

The Certificate of Honor of the CEC of Russia occupies a special place in the system of rewards, since it is a mandatory condition for subsequently being awarded the Honorary Badge "For Merit in the Organization of Elections".

Before July 1, 2016, the Certificate was awarded on a mass scale. Each year, thousands of certificates were awarded, mainly to members of precinct and territorial commissions, "for the successful organization and conduct of elections". After the 2011 State Duma elections alone, more than 5,000 people received this award. This approach made it possible to extend this form of recognition to a significant number of commission members serving on a non-permanent basis.

The period after July 1, 2016 saw a fundamental revision of this approach. Under the amendments to the Regulations on Awards, strict limits were introduced: at a single meeting, the CEC of Russia may award the certificate to no more than five people. This reduced the number of awards to 25–35 people per year and turned the Certificate from a mass form of recognition into an elite award, accessible primarily to heads of regional election commissions and high-ranking officials.

2. The Honorary Badge "For Merit in the Organization of Elections": Legal Regime and Awarding Conditions

2.1. Grounds for award

Resolution No. 74/670-7 of the CEC of Russia of February 15, 2017 established the Honorary Badge "For Merit in the Organization of Elections" as a departmental mark of distinction entitling the recipient to the Veteran of Labor. In April 2025, substantial amendments were made to the Regulations, and these amendments require separate analysis.

In its current version (as amended on April 2, 2025) clause 2.1 of the Regulations sets out the following requirements for persons nominated for the award:

a) at least 15 years of service in the organization and conduct of elections and referendums in the Russian Federation;

b) holding the status of an election commission member, holding a position in the administration of an election commission, or working in institutions subordinate to the CEC of Russia for at least three years immediately before the award is granted;

c) holding the Certificate of Honor of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation.

An important exception is the provision under which subclauses "a" and "c" do not apply to persons who have received a state award of the Russian Federation or a form of recognition from the President of the Russian Federation for merits in the organization and conduct of elections. This is because these persons are, in any case, entitled to apply for the title of Veteran of Labor. Awarding them a lower-ranking award – albeit the highest award within the system of election commissions – therefore does not change the number of veterans of labor in the country and is more a symbolic gesture than a legal one.

2.2. Nomination Procedure

The procedure for nomination for the Honorary Badge is regulated in detail by Section 3 of the Regulations and constitutes a complex multi-stage process:

Stage 1: Initiation of the nomination. As a rule, the award nomination is prepared at the candidate’s primary place of employment or service and submitted to the Chair of the CEC of Russia. A nomination by an election commission of a constituent entity of the Russian Federation or by the territorial election commission of the Sirius federal territory is adopted at a meeting of the respective commission. In practice, the process is initiated at a meeting of the election commission of the constituent entity of the Russian Federation on the initiative of the commission chair.

Stage 2: Collection of documents. The nomination must include the following:

an award submission prepared using the prescribed form (Appendix No. 4);

documents confirming compliance with the requirements;

a document confirming the absence of an unexpunged or outstanding criminal conviction.

Stage 3: Registration and verification. The documents are received and registered by the Department for Appeals and Records Management of the CEC of Russia administration. The original documents are duplicated electronically using the "Kadry" ("Personnel") module of the SAS Vybory.

Stage 4: Approval. The documents are forwarded to the Secretary of the CEC of Russia. The Department for the Organization of the Electoral Process prepares an internal memorandum, which must be approved by:

the member of the CEC of Russia responsible for liaison with the relevant election commission of the constituent entity of the Russian Federation;

the Planning and Finance Department of the CEC of Russia administration.

Additional approvals are required for certain categories of employees:

for chief accountants – by the heads of the Planning and Finance Department and the Department for Control over Federal Budget Expenditures and Personnel Management;

for heads of information centers and system administrators – by the Head of the Federal Center of Informatization under the CEC of Russia.

Stage 5: Decision-making. Once finalized, the internal memorandum is forwarded to the personnel unit for preparation of a draft resolution of the CEC of Russia. The decision to grant the award is made at a meeting of the CEC of Russia.

Stage 6: Special conditions for review. Review of award documents concerning members of election commissions that are submitted during an election campaign is suspended until the campaign ends.

2.3. The 2025 Amendments

Resolution No. 196/1523-8 of the CEC of Russia of April 2, 2025 introduced a number of substantial changes that warrant separate analysis:

First, municipal employees were excluded from the list of persons who may be nominated for the award. This is connected with the abolition of election commissions of municipal entities.

Second, the wording of the service-record requirement was clarified: what is now required is service specifically "in the field of the organization and conduct of elections", rather than only within the system of election commissions. This broadens the possibility of counting work performed in other structures connected with the electoral process.

Third, an important exception was introduced for persons who hold state awards or forms of recognition from the President of the Russian Federation: the requirements concerning 15 years of service and possession of the Certificate of Honor do not apply to them.

Fourth, clause 3.11 was introduced, under which the CEC of Russia may review a nomination for an award for a commission member whose term of office has expired, provided that no more than six months have passed since the termination of that member’s powers. This is an important amendment that partially addresses the problem of "unaccounted-for" candidates.

2.4. Financial Aspect

Clause 2.4 of the Regulations establishes a differentiated approach to monetary rewards for award recipients:

members of the CEC of Russia and civil servants of the CEC of Russia administration receive a non-recurrent monetary reward of 3,000 rubles;

members of other election commissions, civil servants of the territorial election commission of the Sirius federal territory, state civil servants of constituent entities of the Russian Federation serving in election commission administrations, and employees of subordinate institutions may receive such a payment by decision of the relevant commission or institution from its own funds, with the amount determined independently.

Therefore, for the overwhelming majority of election commission members serving on a non-professional basis, a monetary reward upon receipt of the badge is not guaranteed and depends on whether the relevant commission has available funds. At the same time, the small amount of the non-recurrent reward cannot be considered a meaningful source of motivation and could therefore be eliminated so as not to diminish the significance of receiving the CEC of Russia’s highest award.

3. The Problem of Tracking Service Record for Commission Members Serving on a Non-Permanent Basis

3.1. The Legal Nature of the Status of a Commission Member with a Deciding Vote

Members of election commissions with a deciding vote who serve on a non-permanent, non-staff basis have a unique legal status that creates significant difficulties in tracking the service record for award purposes.

Under the Federal Law "On Basic Guarantees of Electoral Rights and the Right to Participate in Referendums of Citizens of Russian Federation", members of commissions with a deciding vote:

are not state or municipal employees, except in cases where they hold the relevant positions in commission administrations;

exercise their powers for the term of activity of a commission of a particular composition;

receive compensation for the period of preparation and administration of elections, but not a salary;

bear full responsibility for the legality of electoral actions.

The problem is that periods of service on commissions of different compositions may not be aggregated for award purposes if there were gaps between them. A PEC member who has served three consecutive terms (which amounts to 15 years) but has had a gap between those terms, does not formally meet the requirement of having held the status of a commission member for at least three years immediately before the award.

3.2. The 2025 Amendment as a Partial Solution to the Issue

The newly introduced clause 3.11, which allows a nomination to be reviewed within six months after a commission member’s powers have ended, partially mitigates this issue. However, it does not fully resolve it, since it:

1) gives the CEC of Russia the right, but not the obligation, to review the nomination;

2) establishes a strict six-month period, which may be missed for objective reasons;

3) does not apply to cases in which there is a gap of more than six months between terms of office.

3.3. The Issue of “Unaccounted-for” Periods

Tracking the service record is particularly difficult for commission members who:

served on different commissions, for example, first on a PEC and then on a TEC;

had gaps between terms of office;

served on commissions during periods when commissions were formed on different legal grounds.

The current Regulations do not contain clear rules for aggregating such periods, which creates the risk of a discretionary approach when individual nominations are reviewed.

4. The Issue of the "Certificate Filter" and Its Impact on the Accessibility of Departmental Awards

4.1. Statistics on the Awarding of the Certificate of Honor

As noted above, after July 1, 2016, the number of certificates awarded by the CEC of Russia dropped sharply – from thousands to 25–35 people per year. This creates a fundamental issue for the award system as a whole.

Since holding the Certificate of Honor is a mandatory condition for nomination for the Badge of Honor, a vicious circle emerges: to receive the badge that entitles the recipient to "veteran" benefits, one must first receive the certificate, but under the current limits obtaining the certificate is practically impossible.

4.2. Comparative Analysis of Periods

To understand the scale of the problem, it is useful to compare statistics across different periods (Table 1).

At this rate, it would take decades for all commission members with 15 years of service to receive the Certificate.

4.3. Exception for Persons Holding State Awards

One important 2025 amendment exempted persons holding state awards of the Russian Federation or forms of recognition from the President of the Russian Federation from the requirement to hold the Certificate of Honor. However, this exception applies only to an extremely narrow group of persons.

Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 322 of May 10, 2024 established the honorary title "Merited Worker of the Electoral System of the Russian Federation". The following requirements have been established for receiving this title:

for commission members with a deciding vote serving on a permanent basis – 10 years of experience;

for commission members serving on a non-permanent basis – 15 years of experience;

for administration staff – 15 years of experience;

prior recognition from election commissions at various levels or from public authorities.

Obtaining a state award is obviously a more complex procedure than obtaining a departmental distinction; accordingly, this exception does not solve the issue of broad access to "veteran" benefits. Moreover, citizens who have received these awards also become entitled to the title of Veteran of Labor, which makes it meaningless to award them departmental marks of distinction.

5. Issues in the Procedure for Award Nomination and Review of Materials

5.1. Complexity of the Approval Procedure

An analysis of the award nomination procedure established by Section 3 of the Regulations reveals a number of problems.

Multi-actor approval process. The procedure requires an internal memorandum to be approved by several officials and units: the member of the CEC of Russia responsible for the relevant region, the Planning and Finance Department, and, for certain categories, additional approving authorities. This creates a risk that documents may become stalled at any stage.

Absence of review deadlines. The Regulations do not set maximum time limits for approving the internal memorandum, which may lead to unjustified delays.

Formatting requirement. Clause 3.4 requires the award submission to be prepared on a single double-sided sheet, without errors or corrections. At the same time, the reference must state specific merits from the past three years. For commission members serving on a non-permanent basis, isolating this specific three-year period may be difficult.

5.2. Suspension of Review During Election Campaigns

Clause 3.10 provides that the review of award documents concerning members of election commissions that are submitted during an election campaign is suspended until the campaign ends.

This rule, which is intended to allow commissions to focus on administering elections, creates the following issues:

award materials may remain on hold for months;

a significant number of unreviewed nominations may accumulate between elections;

for commission members whose term of office expires shortly after an election, there is a risk that the review will be completed only after they have lost their status.

The 2025 amendment allowing nominations to be reviewed within six months after the termination of powers partially mitigates this problem, but does not eliminate it entirely.

5.3. Procedure for Initiating a Nomination for State Awards

The procedure for initiating a nomination for state awards of the Russian Federation, approved by Resolution No. 238/1550-5 of the CEC of Russia of January 19, 2011, warrants special attention as well.

Under this procedure, a nomination is generally initiated following federal election campaigns for merits in the organization and administration of elections and referendums, the strengthening of legality, and the protection of electoral rights of citizens. The nomination may be initiated by the Chair of the CEC of Russia, the Deputy Chairs, the Secretary, members of the CEC, the Head of the CEC of Russia administration, the trade union committee, or the general meeting of employees.

The Department of Civil Service and Personnel verifies the information, prepares the documents, and submits them to the Secretary of the CEC for inclusion on the Commission’s meeting agenda.

What stands out is that the right to initiate a nomination for state awards is granted to a broader range of actors, including the trade union committee and the general meeting, than the right to initiate a nomination for departmental awards. In practice, however, the mechanism of nomination by the general meeting of employees is difficult to apply to PEC members serving on a non-permanent basis.

6. Constitutional and Legal Issues in Exercising the Right to the Title of Veteran of Labor

6.1. The Principle of Equality and Differentiation of Legal Status

The constitutional principle of equality under Article 19 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation presupposes that persons with comparable merits should be placed in an equal position. However, the current award system puts commission members serving on a non-permanent basis in a clearly unequal position compared with "administrative" staff.

The problem is aggravated by the fact that the main burden of directly organizing voting, counting votes, and working with voters on election day falls precisely on non-professional members of PECs and TECs. They perform an essential public function, yet they remain excluded from the system of social reward for many years of service as election commission members. This, of course, does not prevent election commission membership from being indicated when a person is nominated for state awards of the Russian Federation or departmental marks of distinction through their primary place of employment. However, when a nomination for recognition is submitted through the primary place of employment, additional achievements in that sphere of employment are required, and such achievements may not exist.

6.2. The Issue of Award Continuity and Service Record

A significant number of people working within the system of election commissions began their careers in the Soviet era or in the 1990s, when the structure of public authorities was different. Despite the legal position of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation that the reorganization of an agency cannot deprive citizens of the right to receive the title of Veteran of Labor, difficulties arise in recognizing service in bodies that no longer exist.

6.3. The Issue of the "Transitional Period" for Persons Awarded Before June 30, 2016

Federal Law No. 388-FZ guaranteed the preservation of rights for persons who had received departmental awards before July 1, 2016. However, uncertainty remains as to which CEC of Russia awards that existed before 2017 should be treated as departmental employment-related marks of distinction.

The status of the medal "For Merit in the Organization of Elections", which existed before the Honorary Badge was established, presents a particular difficulty. De jure, it was not named in federal law as a basis for conferring the title, but de facto it was recognized as a departmental award. This legal uncertainty creates grounds for disputes and litigation.

6.4. The Problem of "Fading" Motivation

From the standpoint of constitutional law, the reward system should be understood as serving not only to compensate, but also to motivate. If many years of service on election commissions on a non-professional basis offer no prospect of receiving social benefits, including the title of Veteran of Labor, citizens lose the motivation to participate in the work of commissions.

Given that approximately one million citizens serving on a public-service basis are involved in administering elections, the issue of their social protection acquires a constitutional dimension.

7. One Million Serving on a Public-Service Basis: The Scale of the Phenomenon and Its Legal Recognition

The scale of this phenomenon requires special attention. According to Ella Pamfilova, approximately one million members of election commissions at all levels serve on a non-professional basis and are involved in administering elections in the Russian Federation.

This is a unique social group of citizens who:

voluntarily assume public and legal duties;

bear responsibility for compliance with electoral legislation;

ensure the exercise of the constitutional rights of millions of voters;

combine this activity with their primary employment;

receive only symbolic compensation for the period of election campaigns.

At the same time, legal recognition of their merits remains extremely limited. The statistics for awards of the Honorary Badge "For Merit in the Organization of Elections" (700–850 badges over eight years) and the Certificate of Honor (25–35 a year) are clearly disproportionate to the scale of the phenomenon.

By comparison, after the 2011 State Duma election alone, over 5,000 people received the Certificate of Honor. At the current rate, that number of recipients would be spread over 150–200 years. This is likely connected with the need for a more detailed vetting process of award recipients, so that persons involved in violations of electoral legislation are not included among those receiving awards.

8. Areas for Improving Legal Regulation

The conducted analysis makes it possible to propose several improvements to the system for awarding members of election commissions.

8.1. Recognition of Qualifying Service

1. Establish clear rules for aggregating periods of service on commissions of different levels and different compositions for award purposes, including recognition of service by members with consultative capacity and other participants in the electoral process.

2. Allow service on commissions to be counted for award purposes even when it was not continuous, provided that the total period of service is at least 15 years.

3. Develop a methodology for verifying the qualifying service of commission members who served before the introduction of automated records.

8.2. The "Certificate Filter"

1. Increase the existing limits on awarding the Certificate of Honor in the period following federal election campaigns.

2. Consider differentiating the requirement to hold the Certificate of Honor for different categories of workers (e.g., PEC members with long service records).

3. Allow certain categories of award candidates to use awards or other forms of recognition from election commissions of constituent entities of the Russian Federation, or other recognition for the organization of elections, as an alternative to the Certificate of Honor of the CEC of Russia.

8.3. Nomination Procedure

1. Establish a procedure for selecting award candidates and set maximum time limits for reviewing documents at each stage of approval.

2. Simplify the procedure for submitting award nominations and obtaining approvals for members of precinct and territorial commissions.

3. Enable electronic document workflow through the SAS Vybory at all stages, including approval by signature.

4. Provide for a simplified procedure for resubmitting documents when their review has been suspended during an election campaign.

8.4. Social Guarantees

1. Consider including the Medal "For Assistance in the Organization of Elections" in the list of departmental badges of merit that entitle the recipient to the title of Veteran of Labor, or creating a separate badge for persons who are not commission members but provide substantial assistance in the organization of elections.

2. Ensure that commission members are informed about the procedure for recognizing qualifying service and about award opportunities, including through the publication of explanations and methodological materials, as well as the introduction of a competitive or points-based procedure for selecting award recipients in lower-level election commissions.

8.5. Clarification of Transitional Provisions

1. Issue official clarifications on the status of awards received before June 30, 2016, including the the CEC of Russia Medal "For Merit in the Organization of Elections".

2. Ensure coordination with social protection authorities so that the transitional provisions of Federal Law No. 388-FZ are applied uniformly.

3. Consider confirming the status of previously issued awards as departmental badges of merit by issuing the relevant certificates or statements.

8.6. Revocation of Awards

Provide for the possibility of revoking CEC of Russia awards if a court decision establishes that an election commission member was involved in falsifying voting results.

Conclusion

The system for awarding members of election commissions of the Russian Federation with departmental badges of merit is a complex legal institution at the intersection of constitutional, administrative, and social security law. The analysis led to the following conclusions.

First, the 2016 reform, which tightened the requirements for conferring the title of Veteran of Labor [2], was objectively aimed at streamlining the system of departmental awards and making social support more targeted. The CEC of Russia responded promptly to changes in federal legislation by establishing the Honorary Badge "For Merit in the Organization of Elections" and bringing the Regulations on Awards into conformity with the new rules.

Second, the combination of administrative barriers (15 years of qualifying service, the mandatory Certificate of Honor, limits on the number of certificates awarded, and a complex approval procedure) has made departmental awards that confer eligibility for the title of Veteran of Labor inaccessible to the overwhelming majority of precinct and territorial election commission members serving on a non-professional basis.

Third, the statistical evidence confirms a fundamental imbalance: each year, no more than 30–35 people receive the Certificate of Honor and approximately 30–50 people receive the Honorary Badge, while thousands of grassroots election organizers carry the main burden of administering elections and could reasonably be considered for recognition. Approximately one million citizens who perform an essential constitutional function on a public-service basis are effectively excluded from the system of social recognition.

Fourth, the 2025 amendments (allowing nominations to be reviewed within six months after the termination of powers and exempting persons with state awards from the requirements concerning qualifying service and the Certificate of Honor) are important but limited improvements that do not address the systemic issues.

Fifth, from the standpoint of constitutional law, the current procedure raises the question of its consistency with the principle of equality (Article 19 of the Russian Constitution) and with the principles of the social welfare state (Article 7). Persons who perform the public function of election administration but serve on a non-permanent basis are placed in a clearly unequal position compared with "administrative" staff.

At the same time, further research on the CEC of Russia’s award policy should examine statistics on specific CEC awards, biographical information on award recipients, and the possible involvement of previously awarded persons in violations of election and referendum legislation, with a view to determining whether award decisions may be revoked through the CEC of Russia’s own internal normative review.

Resolving these issues requires a reasonable compromise between preserving the high status of departmental awards and ensuring social protection for the many thousands of election organizers. Differentiating requirements for different categories of workers, increasing the limits on awarding the Certificate of Honor after elections, simplifying approval procedures, and clearly regulating the recognition of qualifying service could help achieve this balance.

Ultimately, the issue concerns a constitutionally significant value – recognizing the merits of citizens who ensure the exercise of the electoral rights of millions of Russians and thereby make an invaluable contribution to the functioning of democratic institutions and the development of civil society in the Russian Federation.

Received 14.02.2026, revision received 10.03.2026.

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