The independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta obtained an audio recording that allegedly reveals poll workers in Korolyov, a city outside Moscow, being trained to rig the vote ahead of the State Duma elections. The woman heard on the tape is believed to be Zhanna Prokofieva, an advisor to the mayor of Korolyov. Speaking at a meeting with local election commission leaders, the \u201csupervisor\u201d heard on the recording tasks poll workers with providing United Russia with 42\u201345 percent of the vote, and explains to them how to falsify the voting results. Novaya Gazeta sent the leaked recording to Russia\u2019s Central Election Commission on September 2, along with an official request for comment. Meduza summarizes the audio recording here.<\/p>\n
There was a big request from the city authorities\u00a0\u2014 to do everything possible so that it all goes smoothly, without comments and complaints. We don\u2019t want to have to justify ourselves, testify, or talk to prosecutors. We are interested in a specific number and a specific party: 42\u201345 percent according to the party list. I hope that they don\u2019t have enough strength to catch us. With the observers from the LDPR we\u2019re alright, we aren\u2019t worried about the Party of Growth, and everything should be fine with the Communists \u2014 whatever they may be, they\u2019re ours, locals, and they\u2019re not pro-American. We have to make sure that there\u2019s only our people at the polling station, no one else. If you do everything correctly, then even smart, stupid, or any other kind of voting won\u2019t work. We make two lists of those who vote \u2014 one for the voters and another for the election monitors. I advise you to start preparing the list that you\u2019ll hand in ahead of time \u2014 after all, there\u2019s quite a lot to fill out, at 45 percent. When the last voter has left, those who sat with the voter lists during the voting will continue to sit there and work on them. And you\u2019ll sit there until the time comes to replace them. You\u2019ll sit until the cows come home!<\/p>\n