Who can vote in France?

The right to vote looks simple, but it combines four conditions and has one important exception. It is precisely that exception — the case of European citizens — that the exam likes to check.

Four cumulative conditions

You must be of French nationality, be at least 18, be in possession of your civil and political rights, and be registered on the electoral roll. These four conditions add up: meeting three of them is not enough. Registration is often automatic at the census at 16 or after naturalisation, but it must be checked, especially after moving house. A criminal conviction may, in certain cases and for a set period, remove the right to vote: that is what possession of civil and political rights covers.

The case of European citizens

This is the exception to know. A national of another European Union member state living in France may vote and stand in municipal elections and in European elections, provided they register on a complementary electoral roll. They may not, however, vote in the presidential election, the parliamentary elections, or the departmental and regional elections. Nationals of states outside the European Union have no voting rights in France, however long they have lived there.

Registering and voting

Registration is done at the town hall of your home commune or online, in principle before a deadline preceding the ballot. On voting day, you go to the polling station shown on your voter card, with proof of identity. The vote is secret: that is the point of the booth and the envelope. Voting is not compulsory in France, unlike in some neighbouring countries, but abstaining obviously does not excuse you from knowing how elections work, which is part of the syllabus.

The different elections

Voting means knowing who for. The presidential election designates the head of State for five years. The parliamentary elections designate the 577 deputies, also for five years. Municipal elections renew the municipal councils every six years, and it is those councils that then elect the mayor. Departmental and regional elections designate the local assemblies, also for six years. European elections send representatives to the European Parliament every five years. Each ballot has its own rules, but a common principle links them: the vote is personal, secret and free. Being able to match each election to what it designates and to its length covers most of the questions asked on this subject.

Worth remembering

• Four conditions: French nationality, 18 years old, civil and political rights, registration.
• EU citizens living in France: municipal and European elections only.
• The vote is secret and is not compulsory in France.

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