The French are invited to vote in the European elections this Sunday, June 9, but the vote generally mobilizes barely 50% of voters, or even less. Will the abstention rate be high in 2024?
Are the French mobilized for the European elections? The polling stations have been open since 8 a.m. this Sunday, June 9, 2024 to allow voters to vote to choose the elected officials who will represent France in the European Parliament. After the first hours of voting, the first figures on abstention fell at midday: 19.81% of voters slipped a ballot into the ballot box at midday according to figures from the Ministry of the Interior. That is an abstention rate of 80.19% at midday.
This figure should be compared with previous European elections. Participation is slightly higher at midday. In 2019, participation at midday also came close to 20%, at 19.25%, up more than three points compared to 2014 (15.70%). In the end, participation was 50.12% at 8 p.m. compared to 42.43% in 2014. What will it be this year?
Voters still have until 6 p.m. or 8 p.m. to vote, depending on when polling stations close. Until then, the abstention rate may fall further. The French are generally more likely to go to the polls in the second part of the day. A new update on the abstention rate must be made at 5 p.m. with the updated figures, then at 8 p.m. once the vote is over.
More than 50% abstention?
European elections do not usually excite the French and the results of polls published until June 7, the last day of the campaign, were counting on more than 50% abstention. The last European elections have often been marked by the abstention of more than half of French voters with a record in 2009 and 59.4% of abstentionists. But the previous European elections broke the spell with a (very narrow) majority of voters having participated in the ballot: 50.12% against 49.88% of abstentionists. What will it be in 2024?