Electron transfer kinetics between an electrode and an electron acceptor in electrolytes, liquid dielectrics, and dense gases is comparatively analyzed for the case of a weak electric field. Near-electrode charge distribution patterns in a liquid dielectric (or a dense weekly conducting gas) exposed to an external high-voltage field are examined. It is shown that the quadratic dependence of current-voltage characteristics of the system is determined by the character of electron transitions from surface states. The transient processes involved are discussed, and characteristic formation times for steady-state near-electrode patterns are calculated.