Before State Duma elections, civil servants will be taught to “defend the results” of the vote with social media posts

Before State Duma elections, civil servants will be taught to “defend the results” of the vote with social media posts

Russian officials will be taught to publish posts on social media about all voting procedures being observed on the first day of elections in order to “defend their results.” Verstka found a lecture for civil servants with this content on the Znanie portal; it was held in at least ten regions of the country.

“If you took part in the vote and saw with your own eyes that all electoral procedures were being observed, write about it on social media. Write about it on the first day of voting: perhaps this will push those who are hesitating to vote,” the lecture says.

Officials will also be advised to check any “emotionally vivid” information about elections against official sources. And the importance of participating in the electoral process will be explained by the need to resist a “coordinated information war” against Russia and attacks: criticism of procedures and results.

“To remain an indifferent observer of the attacks by our country’s enemies on the course of citizens’ expression of will means allowing ill-wishers to interfere in our lives, influence our future and the future of our children,” the materials state.

Civil servants will be told about physical threats at elections, DDoS attacks, and the “spread of fakes.” Another type of threat singled out in the script is unofficial vote-counting systems. Lecturers will say that they use pseudoscientific methods and will call exit polls a manipulation used to prove fabricated falsifications.

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