Odysseus and everyone else: why Kazakhstanis have started going to the polls in costumes
Because of Kazakhstanis’ creativity, voting at some polling stations in the Kurultai election looked anything but ordinary. People turned up in the most unexpected costumes or staged entire group performances. We take a closer look at the trend.
Turnout in the election to Kazakhstan’s new unicameral Parliament — the Kurultai — exceeded 50 percent by 2:00 p.m. By 8:00 p.m. on August 23, when polling stations across the country closed, 9,352,151 voters had cast their ballots, according to the Central Election Commission. That was 74.19 percent of the total, with 12,605,788 citizens included on voter lists. However, voting at some Kazakh polling stations abroad did not end until August 24.
Kazakhstanis in South Korea and Japan were the first to vote in the Kurultai election. In Tokyo, a student arrived at a polling station dressed as a Kazakh biy, effectively anticipating the trend for unusual costumes that Kazakhstanis had prepared for election day.
Tengrinews.kz collected some of the most striking looks worn by voters, compared them with performances staged during the constitutional referendum in March this year, and analyzed the phenomenon.
First Kurultai election: Spider-Man, Hulk and Characters from “The Odyssey”
One of the main trends in this election was costumes inspired by pop culture — characters from comic books, films and video games. Kazakhstanis appear to have taken their creativity to a new level this time.
For example, one Aktau resident decided to come to Polling Station No. 17 dressed as Spider-Man, whose latest film became one of this summer’s highest-grossing releases.
Photo: Regional Communications Service of Mangystau
“Right now, the whole world’s attention is focused on the Spider-Man movie. I wanted to put on a costume of a trending character and give people around me a good mood,” the man said.
Meanwhile, the Hulk from the same Marvel comic-book universe was voting at one of the polling stations in the city of Aksu in the Pavlodar region. A local resident put on a bulky rubber costume, topped off with denim shorts and suspenders.
View this post on Instagram
Post by AKSU AKPARAT (@aqsu_shanyragy)
Another Aksu resident stepped out in a full-body costume of famous Kazakh singer Kairat Nurtas. The man danced and sang, and after his performance all members of the polling station took photos with him.
View this post on Instagram
Post by AKSU AKPARAT (@aqsu_shanyragy)
There were creative voters in the regional center itself — Pavlodar — as well: one city resident arrived at Polling Station No. 511 dressed as Charlie Chaplin and wearing roller skates. But it would probably have been a faux pas to cast his vote on skates, so the man changed into shoes beforehand. Naturally, the voting did not go without Chaplin’s signature comic movements.
View this post on Instagram
Post by Pavlodar Communication (@pavlodar.rsk)
Another trending film of the summer — Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey — was recreated at polling stations in Astana and Temirtau.
In the first case, an Astana resident chose to dress as Agamemnon and, despite the downpour, also arrived to vote on roller skates. He did not change into shoes and skated from the voting booth to the ballot box.
View this post on Instagram
Post by Astana Communications Service (@rsk.astana)
Residents of Temirtau, for their part, came to Polling Station No. 262 dressed as Odysseus, Penelope and Telemachus. They were accompanied by members of a Greek ethnic-cultural association in national costumes. Which city captured the spirit of The Odyssey more accurately is for you to decide.
View this post on Instagram
Post by TEMIRTAU NEWS – TTK (@ttk.news.qaz)
Almaty is a football city, so two local residents expressed their choice dressed as two of the world’s biggest stars — Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Before casting their ballots, the men in full-body costumes held a football warm-up right outside the school where Polling Station No. 294 was located.
Photo: RSC Almaty
“According to their friends, they wanted to show in this unusual way that taking part in public life can be combined with a favorite hobby, and that the Kurultai election is an opportunity to demonstrate civic engagement and add a little positivity to the day,” Almaty’s regional communications service wrote.
Another equally colorful duo appeared at a polling station in Aktau. Two local residents dressed as the Mario brothers from the classic video game and the recently released animated film.
Photo: Regional Communications Service of Mangystau
Naturally, they were asked why they had done it. Their answer was:
“Taking part in elections is an important civic duty. We had planned in advance to come to the political campaign wearing these unusual costumes. Our plan worked out, and we came to vote dressed like this. We are in high spirits. We encourage everyone to take part in the election,” the local communications service quoted the voters as saying.
Tigers, a snow leopard and a real cat turn up at the Kurultai election
Many of us may have thought the quadrobics trend was long gone, but the Kurultai election showed that this “community” is still alive and ready to make itself heard.
At one polling station in Almaty’s Zhetysu District, a man arrived in a striped full-body costume. According to him, he was portraying “a Balkhash tiger named Turan.” Incidentally, this was one of the few cases in which official footage showed a voter removing his mask for identification.
Photo: RSC Almaty
Meanwhile, at a polling station in Zhanaarka District of Ulytau Region, voters were greeted by an entertainer dressed as a tiger.
Photo: RSC Ulytau
“This unusual initiative is intended to emphasize the significance of election day and encourage civic participation,” a post by the local communications service explained.
Another Almaty resident decided to come to Polling Station No. 102 dressed as the city’s symbol — a snow leopard. The man took photos with children and, before voting, also removed the leopard headpiece for identification.
The regional communications service noted that the unexpected visit by the man in the snow leopard costume made the day at the polling station especially memorable.
Photo: RSC Almaty
In Ulytau District of the region of the same name, two voters dressed as snowcocks, a type of mountain bird.
Photo: RSC Ulytau
“It became an unusual expression of respect for an important day for the country and of civic responsibility,” the local regional communications service wrote.
There was also a documented case involving a real animal at a polling station. One Almaty resident showed up with his cat named Bass.
View this post on Instagram
Post by BANARAЦЕ JM CATS (@bass_white_cat)
Runaway brides — though not from the election — and strongmen
The costumes were not limited to animals and movie characters. Some people wore outfits with extravagant hats, others dressed up as a cup of coffee, while still others staged full performances.
Perhaps the most memorable show was put on by Kazakh strongman Yerseit Bralin from Atyrau. First, right in front of the polling station, he pulled a KamAZ truck using his body. Then he bent a piece of rebar into the number 23 — and only after that went inside to vote.
Photo: RSC Atyrau
One resident of Ili District in Almaty Region decided to take on an equally challenging task on election day — starting a family. He proposed to his girlfriend right next to the voting booth.
Photo: RSC Almaty Region
In Ulytau, newlyweds also visited a polling station, dressed in their wedding attire.
View this post on Instagram
Post by RCS/OKK (@rsk_ulytau)
Petropavlovsk had its own wedding-themed story, but with a slightly different twist: seven “runaway brides” arrived at a polling station together. Without any grooms.
“Today, seven ‘runaway brides’ were spotted at one polling station in North Kazakhstan Region. Apparently, the girls decided that while you can run away from the groom, you cannot miss an important vote. White dresses, veils, a great mood and a clear goal — first cast their ballots in the Kurultai parliamentary election, and only then sort out their personal lives. In the end, all seven brides made it to the ballot boxes. The grooms have yet to be found,” was how the scene was described locally.
Of course, it was all done as a joke. But it was certainly an interesting approach.
View this post on Instagram
Post from Petropavl North Kazakhstan News (@obovsempetropavlovsk)
Costumed elections: analyzing the trend
It is worth noting that this trend emerged several years ago and appears to be gaining momentum. Our editorial team already began examining it in an article about how the March 15 referendum was held this year — that was when the surge in the number of performances and the amount of effort participants put into them became particularly noticeable. But first things first.
Of course, there are no exact statistics on how “costumed” any particular political event in Kazakhstan has been. The scale and frequency of such cases can perhaps only be judged by how often they appear in the news and on social media. The editorial team gathered information on such cases over the past five years from open sources and analyzed it. We counted both the number of performances and the number of unusual voters themselves — those who came in costume, arrived in an unconventional way or stood out in some other manner. The results were quite interesting.
Kazakhstan’s 2021 parliamentary election: Teddy bears denied entry
The first time anything similar appeared in the media was during the parliamentary election on January 10, 2021. There was at least one case in Karaganda involving people dressed as teddy bears who were not allowed into a polling station because election officials could not identify them due to their masks.
2022 presidential election: Wakanda warriors and newlyweds
There were also unusual appearances during Kazakhstan’s presidential election on November 20, 2022. At the time, our editorial team reported on the most notable case — men dressed as Wakanda warriors, as well as newlyweds in wedding attire.
There were several other cases four years ago:
residents of West Kazakhstan Region came to vote en masse in national dress;
a motorcade of ten vintage cars carrying voters drove through Konaev;
berkutchi Burkitbai Faizolla came to vote with his family and birds of prey.
As can be seen, these were several isolated episodes. They attracted public attention, but judging by open-source reports, there were clearly fewer of them than in 2026.
Kazakhstan’s 2023 Parliamentary Election: “Walruses” and a Snow Leopard Cast Their VotesBy the March 19, 2023 elections to the Mazhilis and maslikhats, the genre seemed to have become established, although its scale could still be described as modest.
At the time, the media reported on a voter dressed as a snow leopard, a tractor driver, a man arriving on a camel, four Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles who came to a polling station, a “couch hero” and a woman carrying adyraspan.
Tengrinews.kz also reported on four “walruses” — three men and a woman who appeared at a polling station in Astana wearing what was essentially beachwear. And, as a reminder, this was March in the capital.
There were also two newlyweds from Kurmangazy District and writer Daulet Seisenuly, who came dressed in national clothing.
Using a comparable methodology, at least 16 similar appearances can therefore be identified during the 2023 election. Still, these were more isolated local news stories than a nationwide stream of unusual characters.
2024 nuclear power plant referendum: Deadpool, Joker, Captain America, Batman and Wonder Woman
There were even more such stories during the October 6, 2024 referendum on the construction of a nuclear power plant. Tengrinews.kz reported at the time on a group of Astana residents dressed as superheroes: Deadpool, Joker, Captain America, Batman and Wonder Woman. A batyr and a woman in national dress also cast their votes that day. In other words, the phenomenon was already gathering momentum, although it was still not particularly prominent in terms of media coverage.
2026 referendum: a voting multiverse
Based on open sources, the editorial team found mentions of around 20–25 voters in costume or participants in unusual performances during the March 15, 2026 referendum on the new Constitution.
The most notable cases included:
Elsa and Ladybug in Kokshetau — both were professional entertainers and cast their own votes;
“Ekibastuz Man”;
hitman Léon, Mathilda and a flower in Atyrau;
Bumblebee and Optimus Prime in Oral — two full-body characters;
a Fixie in Oral — the voter explained that the costume symbolized the role of every individual within a larger mechanism;
the Golden Man in Esik;
a snow leopard in Konaev, just as in this election;
a penguin in Almaty;
Threads in Almaty — an 18-year-old voter dressed as the social media platform’s logo;
Superman, Iron Man and the Joker — also in Almaty;
Spider-Man in Shymkent;
an Eagle Man — again in Almaty;
a woman from Astana already familiar to the public, wearing a bathrobe, slippers and a towel wrapped around her head. On March 15, she came with a robotic dog. At the Kurultai election, she was accompanied by a robot, although only the woman voted;
a Pavlodar resident dressed as Kairat Nurtas, echoing a similar case on August 23;
a woman dressed as a character from Naruto;
Qydyr Ata, who voted in Kostanay Region on March 15;
and Kök Böri — the celestial wolf.
Because of the large number of Marvel characters, people even began talking about a “referendum multiverse.”
In March, voters also tried to stand out by the way they arrived at polling stations: in Mangystau they came on motorcycles and by boat, while in other regions people arrived on horseback and by paraglider.
Even then, we noted that this approach had clearly become widespread during the referendum. Media outlets were publishing not just one or two stories, but entire roundups of voters who stood out, and such stories were being picked up more widely by both national and regional media.
Our editorial team even produced an infographic documenting the trend.
2026 Kurultai election: more and more shows at polling stations
Based on open sources, by the time voting in the election to the new Parliament — the Kurultai — ended at 8:00 p.m. on August 23, the participation of at least 100 people in costumed or staged forms of voting and special performances could be confidently confirmed.
We counted group performances, including:
50 people in Shymkent — a youth flash mob outside Polling Station No. 361 featuring matching outfits, a choreographed performance and a huge 16 × 8-meter banner; after the performance, all participants went to vote.
20 cyclists in Aktobe who rode through the city as an organized group before arriving to vote at Polling Station No. 557.
Seven “brides” in Petropavlovsk who staged a flash mob in wedding dresses at Polling Station No. 611.
Four people in costumes featuring social media branding in Almaty — Instagram, Threads, TikTok and Facebook — at Polling Station No. 175.
Three characters from The Odyssey in Temirtau — Odysseus, Penelope and Telemachus. They were also accompanied by representatives of a Greek ethnocultural association wearing national dress, but their number was not specified, so we did not include them in the count.
We also included individual costumed appearances at polling stations, some of which were mentioned above.
And if we compare the figures again, the roughly 100 unusual voters seen this time represent about four to five times as many similar cases as were recorded in March.
Another interesting point is that the referendum featured many individual superheroes and fictional characters, while August 23 saw more deliberately staged formats — flash mobs, theatrical performances, readings of Abai, a musical performance in the middle of the sea, and much more. In other words, the phenomenon has become both more widespread and more organized.
Turnout in the election to Kazakhstan’s new unicameral Parliament — the Kurultai — exceeded 50 percent by 2:00 p.m. By 8:00 p.m. on August 23, when polling stations across the country closed, 9,352,151 voters had cast their ballots, according to the Central Election Commission. That was 74.19 percent of the total, with 12,605,788 citizens included on voter lists. However, voting at some Kazakh polling stations abroad did not end until August 24.
Kazakhstanis in South Korea and Japan were the first to vote in the Kurultai election. In Tokyo, a student arrived at a polling station dressed as a Kazakh biy, effectively anticipating the trend for unusual costumes that Kazakhstanis had prepared for election day.
Tengrinews.kz collected some of the most striking looks worn by voters, compared them with performances staged during the constitutional referendum in March this year, and analyzed the phenomenon.
First Kurultai election: Spider-Man, Hulk and Characters from “The Odyssey”
One of the main trends in this election was costumes inspired by pop culture — characters from comic books, films and video games. Kazakhstanis appear to have taken their creativity to a new level this time.
For example, one Aktau resident decided to come to Polling Station No. 17 dressed as Spider-Man, whose latest film became one of this summer’s highest-grossing releases.
Photo: Regional Communications Service of Mangystau
“Right now, the whole world’s attention is focused on the Spider-Man movie. I wanted to put on a costume of a trending character and give people around me a good mood,” the man said.
Meanwhile, the Hulk from the same Marvel comic-book universe was voting at one of the polling stations in the city of Aksu in the Pavlodar region. A local resident put on a bulky rubber costume, topped off with denim shorts and suspenders.
View this post on Instagram
Post by AKSU AKPARAT (@aqsu_shanyragy)
Another Aksu resident stepped out in a full-body costume of famous Kazakh singer Kairat Nurtas. The man danced and sang, and after his performance all members of the polling station took photos with him.
View this post on Instagram
Post by AKSU AKPARAT (@aqsu_shanyragy)
There were creative voters in the regional center itself — Pavlodar — as well: one city resident arrived at Polling Station No. 511 dressed as Charlie Chaplin and wearing roller skates. But it would probably have been a faux pas to cast his vote on skates, so the man changed into shoes beforehand. Naturally, the voting did not go without Chaplin’s signature comic movements.
View this post on Instagram
Post by Pavlodar Communication (@pavlodar.rsk)
Another trending film of the summer — Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey — was recreated at polling stations in Astana and Temirtau.
In the first case, an Astana resident chose to dress as Agamemnon and, despite the downpour, also arrived to vote on roller skates. He did not change into shoes and skated from the voting booth to the ballot box.
View this post on Instagram
Post by Astana Communications Service (@rsk.astana)
Residents of Temirtau, for their part, came to Polling Station No. 262 dressed as Odysseus, Penelope and Telemachus. They were accompanied by members of a Greek ethnic-cultural association in national costumes. Which city captured the spirit of The Odyssey more accurately is for you to decide.
View this post on Instagram
Post by TEMIRTAU NEWS – TTK (@ttk.news.qaz)
Almaty is a football city, so two local residents expressed their choice dressed as two of the world’s biggest stars — Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Before casting their ballots, the men in full-body costumes held a football warm-up right outside the school where Polling Station No. 294 was located.
Photo: RSC Almaty
“According to their friends, they wanted to show in this unusual way that taking part in public life can be combined with a favorite hobby, and that the Kurultai election is an opportunity to demonstrate civic engagement and add a little positivity to the day,” Almaty’s regional communications service wrote.
Another equally colorful duo appeared at a polling station in Aktau. Two local residents dressed as the Mario brothers from the classic video game and the recently released animated film.
Photo: Regional Communications Service of Mangystau
Naturally, they were asked why they had done it. Their answer was:
“Taking part in elections is an important civic duty. We had planned in advance to come to the political campaign wearing these unusual costumes. Our plan worked out, and we came to vote dressed like this. We are in high spirits. We encourage everyone to take part in the election,” the local communications service quoted the voters as saying.
Tigers, a snow leopard and a real cat turn up at the Kurultai election
Many of us may have thought the quadrobics trend was long gone, but the Kurultai election showed that this “community” is still alive and ready to make itself heard.
At one polling station in Almaty’s Zhetysu District, a man arrived in a striped full-body costume. According to him, he was portraying “a Balkhash tiger named Turan.” Incidentally, this was one of the few cases in which official footage showed a voter removing his mask for identification.
Photo: RSC Almaty
Meanwhile, at a polling station in Zhanaarka District of Ulytau Region, voters were greeted by an entertainer dressed as a tiger.
Photo: RSC Ulytau
“This unusual initiative is intended to emphasize the significance of election day and encourage civic participation,” a post by the local communications service explained.
Another Almaty resident decided to come to Polling Station No. 102 dressed as the city’s symbol — a snow leopard. The man took photos with children and, before voting, also removed the leopard headpiece for identification.
The regional communications service noted that the unexpected visit by the man in the snow leopard costume made the day at the polling station especially memorable.
Photo: RSC Almaty
In Ulytau District of the region of the same name, two voters dressed as snowcocks, a type of mountain bird.
Photo: RSC Ulytau
“It became an unusual expression of respect for an important day for the country and of civic responsibility,” the local regional communications service wrote.
There was also a documented case involving a real animal at a polling station. One Almaty resident showed up with his cat named Bass.
View this post on Instagram
Post by BANARAЦЕ JM CATS (@bass_white_cat)
Runaway brides — though not from the election — and strongmen
The costumes were not limited to animals and movie characters. Some people wore outfits with extravagant hats, others dressed up as a cup of coffee, while still others staged full performances.
Perhaps the most memorable show was put on by Kazakh strongman Yerseit Bralin from Atyrau. First, right in front of the polling station, he pulled a KamAZ truck using his body. Then he bent a piece of rebar into the number 23 — and only after that went inside to vote.
Photo: RSC Atyrau
One resident of Ili District in Almaty Region decided to take on an equally challenging task on election day — starting a family. He proposed to his girlfriend right next to the voting booth.
Photo: RSC Almaty Region
In Ulytau, newlyweds also visited a polling station, dressed in their wedding attire.
View this post on Instagram
Post by RCS/OKK (@rsk_ulytau)
Petropavlovsk had its own wedding-themed story, but with a slightly different twist: seven “runaway brides” arrived at a polling station together. Without any grooms.
“Today, seven ‘runaway brides’ were spotted at one polling station in North Kazakhstan Region. Apparently, the girls decided that while you can run away from the groom, you cannot miss an important vote. White dresses, veils, a great mood and a clear goal — first cast their ballots in the Kurultai parliamentary election, and only then sort out their personal lives. In the end, all seven brides made it to the ballot boxes. The grooms have yet to be found,” was how the scene was described locally.
Of course, it was all done as a joke. But it was certainly an interesting approach.
View this post on Instagram
Post from Petropavl North Kazakhstan News (@obovsempetropavlovsk)
Costumed elections: analyzing the trend
It is worth noting that this trend emerged several years ago and appears to be gaining momentum. Our editorial team already began examining it in an article about how the March 15 referendum was held this year — that was when the surge in the number of performances and the amount of effort participants put into them became particularly noticeable. But first things first.
Of course, there are no exact statistics on how “costumed” any particular political event in Kazakhstan has been. The scale and frequency of such cases can perhaps only be judged by how often they appear in the news and on social media. The editorial team gathered information on such cases over the past five years from open sources and analyzed it. We counted both the number of performances and the number of unusual voters themselves — those who came in costume, arrived in an unconventional way or stood out in some other manner. The results were quite interesting.
Kazakhstan’s 2021 parliamentary election: Teddy bears denied entry
The first time anything similar appeared in the media was during the parliamentary election on January 10, 2021. There was at least one case in Karaganda involving people dressed as teddy bears who were not allowed into a polling station because election officials could not identify them due to their masks.
2022 presidential election: Wakanda warriors and newlyweds
There were also unusual appearances during Kazakhstan’s presidential election on November 20, 2022. At the time, our editorial team reported on the most notable case — men dressed as Wakanda warriors, as well as newlyweds in wedding attire.
There were several other cases four years ago:
residents of West Kazakhstan Region came to vote en masse in national dress;
a motorcade of ten vintage cars carrying voters drove through Konaev;
berkutchi Burkitbai Faizolla came to vote with his family and birds of prey.
As can be seen, these were several isolated episodes. They attracted public attention, but judging by open-source reports, there were clearly fewer of them than in 2026.
Kazakhstan’s 2023 Parliamentary Election: “Walruses” and a Snow Leopard Cast Their VotesBy the March 19, 2023 elections to the Mazhilis and maslikhats, the genre seemed to have become established, although its scale could still be described as modest.
At the time, the media reported on a voter dressed as a snow leopard, a tractor driver, a man arriving on a camel, four Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles who came to a polling station, a “couch hero” and a woman carrying adyraspan.
Tengrinews.kz also reported on four “walruses” — three men and a woman who appeared at a polling station in Astana wearing what was essentially beachwear. And, as a reminder, this was March in the capital.
There were also two newlyweds from Kurmangazy District and writer Daulet Seisenuly, who came dressed in national clothing.
Using a comparable methodology, at least 16 similar appearances can therefore be identified during the 2023 election. Still, these were more isolated local news stories than a nationwide stream of unusual characters.
2024 nuclear power plant referendum: Deadpool, Joker, Captain America, Batman and Wonder Woman
There were even more such stories during the October 6, 2024 referendum on the construction of a nuclear power plant. Tengrinews.kz reported at the time on a group of Astana residents dressed as superheroes: Deadpool, Joker, Captain America, Batman and Wonder Woman. A batyr and a woman in national dress also cast their votes that day. In other words, the phenomenon was already gathering momentum, although it was still not particularly prominent in terms of media coverage.
2026 referendum: a voting multiverse
Based on open sources, the editorial team found mentions of around 20–25 voters in costume or participants in unusual performances during the March 15, 2026 referendum on the new Constitution.
The most notable cases included:
Elsa and Ladybug in Kokshetau — both were professional entertainers and cast their own votes;
“Ekibastuz Man”;
hitman Léon, Mathilda and a flower in Atyrau;
Bumblebee and Optimus Prime in Oral — two full-body characters;
a Fixie in Oral — the voter explained that the costume symbolized the role of every individual within a larger mechanism;
the Golden Man in Esik;
a snow leopard in Konaev, just as in this election;
a penguin in Almaty;
Threads in Almaty — an 18-year-old voter dressed as the social media platform’s logo;
Superman, Iron Man and the Joker — also in Almaty;
Spider-Man in Shymkent;
an Eagle Man — again in Almaty;
a woman from Astana already familiar to the public, wearing a bathrobe, slippers and a towel wrapped around her head. On March 15, she came with a robotic dog. At the Kurultai election, she was accompanied by a robot, although only the woman voted;
a Pavlodar resident dressed as Kairat Nurtas, echoing a similar case on August 23;
a woman dressed as a character from Naruto;
Qydyr Ata, who voted in Kostanay Region on March 15;
and Kök Böri — the celestial wolf.
Because of the large number of Marvel characters, people even began talking about a “referendum multiverse.”
In March, voters also tried to stand out by the way they arrived at polling stations: in Mangystau they came on motorcycles and by boat, while in other regions people arrived on horseback and by paraglider.
Even then, we noted that this approach had clearly become widespread during the referendum. Media outlets were publishing not just one or two stories, but entire roundups of voters who stood out, and such stories were being picked up more widely by both national and regional media.
Our editorial team even produced an infographic documenting the trend.
2026 Kurultai election: more and more shows at polling stations
Based on open sources, by the time voting in the election to the new Parliament — the Kurultai — ended at 8:00 p.m. on August 23, the participation of at least 100 people in costumed or staged forms of voting and special performances could be confidently confirmed.
We counted group performances, including:
50 people in Shymkent — a youth flash mob outside Polling Station No. 361 featuring matching outfits, a choreographed performance and a huge 16 × 8-meter banner; after the performance, all participants went to vote.
20 cyclists in Aktobe who rode through the city as an organized group before arriving to vote at Polling Station No. 557.
Seven “brides” in Petropavlovsk who staged a flash mob in wedding dresses at Polling Station No. 611.
Four people in costumes featuring social media branding in Almaty — Instagram, Threads, TikTok and Facebook — at Polling Station No. 175.
Three characters from The Odyssey in Temirtau — Odysseus, Penelope and Telemachus. They were also accompanied by representatives of a Greek ethnocultural association wearing national dress, but their number was not specified, so we did not include them in the count.
We also included individual costumed appearances at polling stations, some of which were mentioned above.
And if we compare the figures again, the roughly 100 unusual voters seen this time represent about four to five times as many similar cases as were recorded in March.
Another interesting point is that the referendum featured many individual superheroes and fictional characters, while August 23 saw more deliberately staged formats — flash mobs, theatrical performances, readings of Abai, a musical performance in the middle of the sea, and much more. In other words, the phenomenon has become both more widespread and more organized.