VOTE ABROAD. Are you French and wondering if you can vote from abroad? We will explain everything to you.
[Mis à jour le 11 mars à 14h35] The presidential election is fast approaching. In less than a month, you will be asked to choose which candidate you wish to vote for. As with every election, you ask yourself a multitude of questions, especially if you live abroad. Living outside France is not a problem for voting. But for that, you must be registered on the electoral lists. Whether in an embassy, consulate or by proxy, several ways are offered. What are the steps to take? Is it too late to register? Do we vote on the same day as the French living in the national territory? The Internet user answers all your questions about the vote of French people living abroad in this article.
To vote abroad, you must meet several criteria. First of all, you must be a Frenchman over 18 years old. Like the French residing in France, those who live abroad must be registered on the electoral lists. If these conditions are met, you will be able to vote on April 10 and 24. Be careful, depending on whether you are registered on a consular electoral list or a municipal electoral list, you will not vote in the same place. To vote in the presidential election of April 10 and 24, 2022, you have until March 4, 2022 to register on the consular electoral list. However, you have until March 31 (March 30 if you live in the United States), if you are in a particular situation (young adult, move, etc.). If you prefer to register on a French municipal list, you will have several choices:
- the municipality where your residence is located;
- the municipality where you have been living for at least 6 months;
- the municipality where you have been subject to local taxes (housing tax or business property contributions or property tax on built or unbuilt properties) for at least 2 years;
- the municipality where a company has been subject to local taxes for at least 2 years and of which you have been the manager (director) or the shareholder (majority or sole) for at least 2 years;
- the municipality where you were born;
- the municipality of your last residence;
- the municipality of your last residence, provided that it was for at least 6 months;
- the municipality where your spouse or one of your parents (up to the 4th degree): Father-mother, grandparents, great-grandparents, great-great-grandparents, son/daughter, grandchildren, great-grandchildren -children in direct line, great-great-grandchildren, brother/sister, uncle/aunt, great-uncle/great-aunt, nephew/niece, great-nephew/great-niece, first cousin in collateral line is registered or has been registered on the list of electors.
As you will have understood, your choice when registering on the electoral lists determines where you can vote. If you are registered on a consular electoral list, you can vote by going to the polling station open at the consulate or embassy with the necessary proof of identity, or by giving power of attorney to a voter registered on the same consular electoral list. . If you are registered on a French communal list, you can vote by going to the polling station with the necessary proof of identity, or by giving power of attorney to a voter in the commune.
Apart from the presidential election, other ballots are open to French nationals living abroad, namely:
- referenda;
- parliamentary elections ;
- the European elections;
- the elections of consular advisers;
- election to the Assembly of French nationals living abroad (for consular advisers only).