Russia Holds an Honest Election

It's hard to say what's most impressive about Russia's latest round of regional and local elections -- the shameless rigging or the apathy of the voters. Either way, the October 14 polls sent an unmistakable message: Electoral democracy as we know it is dying a slow, painful death under President Vladimir Putin.

The votes occurred in part because Putin, seeking to calm widespread anti-corruption protests, restored gubernatorial elections he had ended years earlier. The results suggest the Kremlin retained ample control of the outcome. In the five regions that could have chosen new governors on Oct. 14, nothing actually changed. Five incumbents, all appointees of the ruling United Russia party, won in landslides. None received less than 64 percent of the vote.