Voters are expected at polling stations to participate in the first round of legislative elections this Sunday, June 30. They are asked to present documents to vote, such as the electoral card, but which ones are mandatory?
The French have an appointment with the polls this Sunday, June 9, 2024 to vote in the legislative elections. The vote, which is being held less than a month after the European elections, was initially not scheduled to take place before 2027 and the next presidential election. But the dissolution of the National Assembly has turned the electoral agenda upside down and is pushing voters to find their way to the polling stations faster than expected.
The election held at the beginning of June had the advantage of refamiliarizing French voters with the rules of voting and removing the electoral card from their wallets after two years without an election. Others realized during the last election that they had lost their voting card, but are these in fact deprived of voting in the legislative elections which are being held on June 30 and July 7? Fortunately for them, the electoral card is not compulsory to vote, unlike other documents.
What documents do I need to present to be able to vote?
On election day, it is strongly recommended to present your electoral card to the assessors in the polling station but this is not obligatory. The voter card allows you to attest to your presence on the electoral lists and your attachment to a particular polling station. But your identity is enough for the assessors to check the presence of your name in the list of voters registered and expected in a polling station. If in theory you must have your identity document and your electoral card to vote, in reality only an identity document with a photo is really essential. On the other hand, if someone goes to the polling station with their electoral card but without an identity document, it will be impossible for them to vote.
An exception is made in cities with fewer than 1,000 inhabitants. In these municipalities, too, it is advisable to present both documents, but voters can simply bring one of the two: electoral card or identity document. This is the only case in which an identity document is not mandatory to vote. However, it is possible that an assessor will ask voters to prove their identity with an official document.
Please note that with or without an electoral card, it is imperative to be registered on the electoral lists (and on the correct ones) to be able to vote. Moreover, voters registered on the electoral lists by a court decision must, in addition to the electoral card and/or an identity document, present said document.
What documents can replace the voter card?
If a voter can do without a voter card to vote, he must present an identity document. For this, several documents can be used as long as an identity photograph is present:
- National Identity Card ;
- passport ;
- driving license ;
- vital card;
- civil servant card;
- SNCF large family card;
- military ID card;
- hunting permit ;
- military or civil disability card;
- fighter card.
How to obtain your voter card?
The electoral card goes hand in hand with registration on the electoral lists. To receive one, you must therefore register on the lists by taking the necessary steps on the French administration website. Registration is automatic for new voters when they turn 18, but it can also be done voluntarily and manually after moving or obtaining French nationality. If an electoral card is lost or stolen, a voter already registered on the electoral lists can then obtain a certificate of registration on the electoral list from the town hall. The document serves as a voter’s card to vote on election day.