Elections of all-russia constituent assembly in Tomsk in 1917

The article highlights the significance of the Сonstituent Assembly in political self-determination of Russia during theRevolution of 1917. It states that the Provisional Government had created a Special meeting to make the election voting regulations fordeputies of the Constituent Assembly. A prominent Russian lawyer F.F. Kokoshkin headed it. As a result of the hard work of the Specialmeeting the Election Regulations were published in the Bulletin of Provisional Government (Vestnik Vremennogo Pravitelstva). Itprovided a legislative framework for the preparation and holding of the first All-Russia election that was scheduled for November 12,1917. Using a complex of original documents, preserved in the State archives of Tomsk region, the author of this paper observes theorganization of the general election of the Constituent Assembly in such a large Siberian city as Tomsk. The formation of electioncommissions and their organizational work are outlined. The chairman of the city election commission, N.V. Smirnov, became amember of the Tomsk district court in accordance with the Election Regulations. Details are described of voting technologies, especiallymaking and checking of voters lists, as well as special procedures of receiving complaints from city residents, whose names wereignored or distorted in the electoral lists. At the same time lists of candidates for the Constituent Assembly were made and published.An important component of election technologies was the preparation of places for voting, delivering of identification documents andballot-papers to voters. Ballot-papers were produced in Tomsk in accordance with the samples, published in the Bulletin of ProvisionalGovernment. The candidate lists printed on hard paper were used as ballots. The Tomsk Archive has a rather rare document, a protocolof Tomsk election commission, which allows reproducing the process of voting during November 12-18, 1917. The study of thisprotocol gives good knowledge of the counting of votes and complying strictly with the rules prescribed by law. Now it is obvious thatat first Tomsk citizens took a great interest in the election, but by the end of October and beginning of November 1917 they lost theiractivity. As a matter of fact, no more than 47 percent of Tomsk voters took place in the election of deputies of the ConstituentAssembly. It was less than the national average. The experience of the election campaign of 1917 received no further spread.Nevertheless, the study of it makes it possible to extend knowledge of the political life of Russia in the early 20th century and gives afresh look at the attitude of Russian people to major political events like elections.

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