The article presents a comprehensive theoretical and legal analysis of the concept of the institution of preliminary voting (primaries) in Russia. The author examines the evolution of terminological approaches: from the borrowed anglicism “primaries” to the domestic concept of “preliminary voting”, paying special attention to the linguistic and political-legal aspects of this transition in the context of state policy on the protection of the Russian language.
Based on an analysis of numerous doctrinal sources and party regulatory acts (primarily of the United Russia party), the author identifies the essential characteristics of the institution under study. The conclusion is substantiated that preliminary voting lies outside the scope of electoral legislation, being an intra-party public procedure organized by electoral associations to identify the most popular candidates.
At the end of the study, the author formulates an original definition of preliminary voting as a set of measures aimed at identifying worthy candidates for subsequent nomination in elections, and also highlights three key aspects of this phenomenon: legal (a state-public institution), political (part of the democratic process), and procedural (a selection mechanism). The article will be useful for specialists in the field of constitutional and electoral law, political scientists, as well as participants in the electoral process.