The turnout of Russian voters in the elections in 1997-1998: (based on empirical research)

Abstract

The article is devoted to one of the key problems of electoral sociology: the level and nature of voter participation in elections of various levels in Russia in 1997-1998. A large number of participants testifies to the involvement of citizens in the activities of the socio-political system, their belief in the possibility of influencing the voting results on real politics.

The paper examines the results of sociological studies published in this period, which address the issues of voter turnout. Estimates of the level of citizens' participation in the electoral process, formulated by sociologists and specialists of related scientific disciplines, are also given.

The article draws the following conclusions. Sociologists record the development ofatrendcharacteristicofthefirsthalfofthe 1990s.Voterturnoutfortheelections is constantly decreasing. This is most clearly manifested at the grassroots level (elections of heads of cities and municipal deputies), during local referendums. This forces legislators to abandon the "threshold", the elections were considered to have taken place with any number of citizens who showed up at the ballot boxes.

On the other hand, there is a revival of electoral activity in some regions and cities, which affects the stabilization and even the growth of turnout. This phenomenon is assessed by sociologists as an increase in civic activity associated with the development of electoral culture, both political forces and ordinary citizens.