Elections of deputies to the Supreme Soviet of the Donetsk People's Republic, along with elections for the chief executive of the DPR, took place on 3 November 2014. A central election commission was established to organise the election, and prepared 3.2 million paper ballots. People who were at least thirty years old and who "permanently resided" in the DPR in the previous ten years were electable for terms of four years, and public organisations could nominate candidates. No voter lists were used, leading to fears of potential duplicate votes. Internet voting was allowed, apparently so that those who lived outside the territory controlled by the DPR could cast a vote. Internet voting started prior to election day. These internet votes were accepted by email, as long as the voter sent a scanned copy of their passport along with their vote. The election commission set up mobile polling stations, allowing DPR fighters, including non-citizens - Russians and other foreigners in their ranks - to vote. Many polling places in Donetsk offered voters cabbage, potatoes, carrots, beetroot, and onions at below market price, or even for free, in an effort to draw voters. According to DPR, over 360 polling stations were open on election day. According to an article that appeared in The Guardian, most supporters of a united Ukraine had long since left DPR-controlled territory by the time of the elections. The article also mentioned that those pro-Ukrainian people who remained in the region were forced to "keep quiet in an atmosphere of fear, in which those suspected of pro-Kyiv sympathies could be arrested or worse".
