Abstract
This article examines the practice of disenfranchisement as an important instrument of Soviet social and political policy during the 1920s-1930s. The study focuses on the category of citizens excluded from the electoral process and labeled as “lishentsy” (“disenfranchised persons”), as well as on the evolution of state policy toward this group. Particular attention is paid to the implementation of this policy in the city of Alma-Ata, which served as the administrative center of the Kazakh ASSR during the period under study. The research analyzes the legal foundations of the institution of disenfranchisement, the social composition of those deprived of electoral rights, and the mechanisms used to identify and restrict their civil and political rights. The analysis is based on a range of normative legal acts, beginning with the 1918 Constitution of the RSFSR, as well as decrees and instructions issued by the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, and subsequent regulatory acts governing electoral rights in the USSR. Special attention is given to legislative changes and the practical implementation of these norms at the local level. The article also examines the specific features of implementing this policy in Alma-Ata, including the methods used to exclude particular social groups from voter lists, the role of local authorities in determining the status of disenfranchised individuals, and the impact of these measures on the socio-economic conditions of those deprived of their rights. The study also considers the broader consequences of this policy for the formation of the social structure of society, the intensification of social stratification, and changes in the legal status of various population groups. In addition, the reaction of the local population to these policies is discussed.