Who can vote in France's snap parliamentary elections?
France will be going to the polls again this month after president Emmanuel Macron called snap parliamentary elections - but who can vote?
Macron on Sunday announced snap parliamentary elections, meaning that voters get to vote early for their local representative in the French Assemblée nationale, and also help to determine the overall make-up of the parliament.
Macron has framed this vote as a 'referendum on the far-right' - but who actually gets to have their say?
Although non-French citizens can vote in European and local elections, when it comes to parliamentary elections like this one (or presidential elections) only people with French citizenship can vote. This includes dual nationals.
In order to vote in a parliamentary election you must be aged 18 or over and be a French national.
Those who gained French citizenship aged 16 or under (including those who were born French) are also required to have completed their 'citizen service' in order to be inscribed on the electoral roll. This does not apply to people who gained French citizenship as adults.
You also need to ensure that you are on the electoral roll in order for you to receive your election card in the run-up to voting.
If you voted in the European elections then you know that all is well, however domestic elections usually have a significantly higher turnout than Europeans, so there will be plenty of people who didn't vote in the European elections who will want to have their say on June 30th and July 7th.
If you have not previously voted in France, or you have moved house since you last voted, you can check whether you are on the electoral roll HERE.
As for the deadline to register, French media have reported that technically it is too late for those who have not done so yet.
The snap elections surprised town halls and préfectures, and as of Monday they were still awaiting instructions from the Ministry of Interior. However, the normal rule is that registration is possible until six Fridays before the first round.
The Ministry of Interior confirmed to 20 Minutes that "the [snap] election will take place on the basis of the electoral rolls as of the date of the decree (ie June 9th).
As such, if you registered prior to June 9th then you are eligible to vote.
If you are going to be away on either of the two polling days - and the second round of voting is held on the Sunday after schools break up for the summer holidays, traditionally a time when many families leave to go on holiday - then you can apply for a proxy vote.
This is known as voting par procuration - when you ask someone else who will be home to cast your vote on your behalf. This has to be applied for in advance - you can find full details on applying here.
France does not have an option for postal voting.
Comments
See Also
Macron on Sunday announced snap parliamentary elections, meaning that voters get to vote early for their local representative in the French Assemblée nationale, and also help to determine the overall make-up of the parliament.
Macron has framed this vote as a 'referendum on the far-right' - but who actually gets to have their say?
Although non-French citizens can vote in European and local elections, when it comes to parliamentary elections like this one (or presidential elections) only people with French citizenship can vote. This includes dual nationals.
In order to vote in a parliamentary election you must be aged 18 or over and be a French national.
Those who gained French citizenship aged 16 or under (including those who were born French) are also required to have completed their 'citizen service' in order to be inscribed on the electoral roll. This does not apply to people who gained French citizenship as adults.
You also need to ensure that you are on the electoral roll in order for you to receive your election card in the run-up to voting.
If you voted in the European elections then you know that all is well, however domestic elections usually have a significantly higher turnout than Europeans, so there will be plenty of people who didn't vote in the European elections who will want to have their say on June 30th and July 7th.
If you have not previously voted in France, or you have moved house since you last voted, you can check whether you are on the electoral roll HERE.
As for the deadline to register, French media have reported that technically it is too late for those who have not done so yet.
The snap elections surprised town halls and préfectures, and as of Monday they were still awaiting instructions from the Ministry of Interior. However, the normal rule is that registration is possible until six Fridays before the first round.
The Ministry of Interior confirmed to 20 Minutes that "the [snap] election will take place on the basis of the electoral rolls as of the date of the decree (ie June 9th).
As such, if you registered prior to June 9th then you are eligible to vote.
If you are going to be away on either of the two polling days - and the second round of voting is held on the Sunday after schools break up for the summer holidays, traditionally a time when many families leave to go on holiday - then you can apply for a proxy vote.
This is known as voting par procuration - when you ask someone else who will be home to cast your vote on your behalf. This has to be applied for in advance - you can find full details on applying here.
France does not have an option for postal voting.
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.