I’ve received a great many questions and letters from people who want to take part in the process of nominating me. Is it possible, how can it be done, and is it still not too late?
Yes, it is possible, and no, it’s not too late. Here’s how to do it.
First, a quick primer, which is always useful:
Tomorrow, December 24, we will hold the most important event of our campaign: a meeting of the group nominating my candidacy for President of the Russian Federation. Our party was denied registration, which means that under the law, my candidacy can only be nominated by a group of at least 500 voters. Vladimir Putin, the “leader” of the “presidential race,” is also running as an independent candidate, but he will be nominated by one group, while I will be nominated by as many as 20 in cities across the country.
The meetings are being held outdoors everywhere (the law does not require an indoor venue), but they are not rallies either in form or in substance. Even the notice for holding such a group meeting is submitted to the Central Election Commission or the local election commission. In most cities, election commission representatives have already said they will attend our meetings. There are a couple of problematic cities, such as Vladivostok, where the local authorities are behaving as absurdly as usual, but we hope everything will work out in the end. The group participants will gather and complete the procedure required by law.
So, by the way, a special message to Vladivostok: everyone, please make sure to come. Let your officials finally calm down. We have already filed a whole stack of complaints over the obstruction in your city.
In Moscow, we are setting up a tent on the beach in Serebryany Bor, but we are also prepared to hold it fully outdoors if necessary.
We are holding voter meetings in support of my candidacy in Moscow and 19 other cities. I know that many volunteers and supporters are already aware of them and will definitely come to these meetings (thank you, guys!), but I will also be very glad to see those who have not yet taken an active part in the campaign.
I want to secure your support. Please make sure to come. Let’s show the authorities that we have real people nominating a candidate, while they have nothing but administrative leverage. That is why it will be impossible to keep us off the ballot.
Important: don’t forget to bring your passport with you (only adults can vote on the nomination), and, if possible, a completed registration form. It will reduce the amount of paperwork time. You will exchange it for a delegate badge and then take part in the vote. If you are unable to print the registration form in advance, don’t worry: you will be able to fill it out on site.
Please bring patience and calm with you—the procedure prescribed by law is very tedious and rather pointless (like 99% of the paperwork in our country), but we have to complete it. As always at events like this, a bit of organizational chaos is possible; we are preparing and will do our best to avoid it.
Where and when should you go?
Here is the full list of cities with links to the meetings on VK (VKontakte, a Russian social network):
St. Petersburg, Marsovo Pole, 12:00 Yekaterinburg, Truda Square, 13:00 Perm, City Esplanade, 12:30 Nizhny Novgorod, 1905 Square Park, 12:00 Volgograd, Alley of Heroes (by the Eternal Flame), 12:00 Ufa, 50 Lenin Street (square in front of the Bashkortostan State Concert Hall), 12:30 Izhevsk, Central Square area, 12:00 Samara, 30 Years of Victory Park, 12:00 Rostov-on-Don, Theater Square, 12:00 Saratov, Theater Square, 12:00 Omsk, 91 Dekabristov Street (square in front of the Blinov Sports and Concert Complex), 13:00 Novosibirsk, Narymsky Park, 14:00 Krasnoyarsk, Cosmonauts Park, 14:00 Tyumen, 20 Pervomayskaya Street (square by the city administration building), 13:00 Chelyabinsk, Aloye Pole Park, 13:30 Vladivostok, Station Square by the railway station, at the V.I. Lenin monument, 14:00 Yaroslavl, Truda Square, 12:00 Voronezh, 2 Kirova Street (square by the regional Duma building), 12:00 Irkutsk, square by the monument to Tsar Alexander III, 14:00
In Moscow, attendance is by invitation only, and invitations were sent out to volunteers. Please treat this with understanding. I would very much like to invite everyone who wants to come, but in that case the registration procedure alone would drag on for a full day. And we want to submit the documents to the Central Election Commission on the 24th as well. A representative of the Central Election Commission will also be present at the group meeting in Moscow, by the way.
Join the meeting in your city—support your candidate!