Freeing up the weekend: Russia’s first day of voting in the State Duma elections starts with abnormally long lines at polling stations

On Friday, September 17, Russia kicked off the first of three days of voting in the State Duma elections, as well as in a number of regional parliamentary elections. Things got off to a busy start with many polling stations seeing abnormally long lines of civil servants and military personnel looking to cast their ballots first thing in the morning. Journalists, human rights activists, and election observers were quick to point this out. According to Meduza's sources, government employees were pressured to vote en masse before noon on Friday, to ensure maximum turnout from the get-go. Original Article: https://meduza.io/en/feature/2021/09/17/freeing-up-the-weekend