MOSCOW, September 27. /TASS/. Voting has kicked off in the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics (DPR, LPR), the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions on the final day of their referendums on joining Russia.
For security reasons, mobile election commissions conducted the voting process on the first four days of the vote but today, voters have the opportunity to come to polling stations to cast their ballots. Polling stations opened at 8:00 am and will close at 4:00 pm. Right after that, the vote count will begin and the results of exit polls will be announced.
DPR residents can vote at 450 polling stations across the republic and at over 200 polling stations in Russia. The LPR election authority set up 461 stations in the republic and another 201 in Russia. The Zaporozhye Region’s authorities opened 394 polling stations across the region and another 102 in Russia, the DPR, the LPR and the Kherson Region. Eight territorial and 198 district election commissions were created in the Kherson Region, whose residents can also vote in Crimea, Moscow and a number of other Russian cities.
The referendums have been recognized as valid in all four regions as the overall voter turnout has exceeded 50%. A total of 86.89% of voters cast their ballots in the DPR as of Monday night. Voter turnout currently stands at 83.61% in the LPR, at 63.58% in the Kherson Region and at 66.43% in the Zaporozhye Region.