VOTE PLACE. How to vote in the presidential election? While the ballot takes place this Sunday, April 10 for the 1st round and April 24 for the 2nd round, finding your polling station can sometimes be a headache. Here’s how to find the address as well as opening and closing times.
Would you like to know the address and opening and closing times of your polling station? Simply type the name or postal code of your municipality in the search bar below.
[Mis à jour le 10 avril 2022 à 00h24] The polling stations began to open their doors this Saturday, April 9, 2022 in a part of the overseas territories, which votes earlier than the metropolis in the presidential election 2022, time difference obliges. In metropolitan France, the polling stations will open for their part at 8 am tomorrow morning for the grand launch of the first round of the presidential election. But how to vote in the presidential election when you don’t know your polling station? Many first-time voters, but also citizens who are used to abstaining from intermediate elections, may have difficulty finding their voting booth.
However, whether in mainland France, in the DROM-COM (ex DOM-TOM) and even in foreign countries, you have the possibility of making your voice heard by voting. If all the municipalities have at least one polling station, it is not possible to go there anytime and anyhow. In which office do you vote? What are the opening and closing times? Are there any papers to present? How is it organised? Here’s everything you need to know to find your polling station.
Between those in France (all territories combined) and those open abroad, approximately 70,000 polling stations will be open for the presidential election. Linternaute offers you a complete and free service to identify a polling station via a search engine and access the addresses and timetables for this presidential election.
Find a polling station
Even if the registration on the electoral lists is validated, you have to go and vote in a very specific office and not anywhere. Indeed, several offices are open in the municipalities to bring together voters residing in the same geographical area. Each polling station generally does not exceed 1,000 voters. Not sure where yours is? Do not panic. The number and address is written on your electoral card, inside, at the top.
What are the opening hours of my polling station?
For the 2022 presidential election, as for all other elections, it is possible to go and vote from 8 a.m. In metropolitan France, all polling stations open at the same time on Sunday morning. On the other hand, in certain overseas territories, voters are called to the polls earlier on Saturdays from 8 a.m. These are those registered in Guadeloupe, Guyana, Martinique, Saint-Barthélemy, Saint-Martin, Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon and French Polynesia. The same is also true for French nationals living abroad registered on the American continent.
Consult the hours of a polling station
What is the closing time of my polling station?
Not all polling stations close at the same time on election day. Differences exist in the big cities, on prefectural order. In the vast majority of cities, polling stations close at 7 p.m. on Sundays. However, the metropolises play the extensions until 8 p.m., such as in Paris, Lille, Bordeaux, Marseille, Toulouse, Nantes or Nice. A differentiation made due to a larger number of voters in these territories. The same is true for the voters of Guadeloupe, Guyana, Martinique, Saint-Barthélemy, Saint-Martin, Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon and French Polynesia, summoned from Saturday. The ballot will close at 7 p.m. local time, although the Minister of Foreign Affairs may postpone the closing time in certain territories to 8 p.m. maximum.
Consult the hours of a polling station
What documents do I need to present in order to vote?
Before being able to slip a ballot into the ballot box, it is necessary, in most municipalities, to have to prove one’s identity to those responsible for the polling stations. However, presenting your electoral card is not obligatory. An identity document may be sufficient, such as his identity card, his passport, his vital card with photograph, his disability card or his driving license. It should also be noted that in towns with less than 1,000 inhabitants, it is however not compulsory to present any identity document in order to be able to vote. “But in case of doubt, the president of the polling station can ask you to prove your identity by any means”, specifies the administration.
Do you have to wear a mask to vote?
The last elections organized in France, whether municipal or departmental and regional, had been marked by the implementation of a strict health protocol with respect for physical distancing, hand washing or even wearing the mask. This time, for the 2022 presidential election, wearing a mask and physical distancing rules are not mandatory in polling stations, but wearing a mask remains strongly recommended for the elderly, immunocompromised, chronically ill and frail, as well as for their caregivers, symptomatic people, at-risk contact cases and people who have tested positive for Covid-19, up to 7 days after their release from isolation.
Also, the health pass will not be compulsory: proof of vaccination, certificate of recovery or result of a negative virological test, none of these documents will be required when you go to the polling station. They will also not be imposed for the personnel of the organization. For vulnerable people, it will also be possible to request priority access from outside the polling station.
Finally, the number of voters per polling station is not limited. However, access to the polling station can be regulated and entry and exit must be separated to avoid crowded situations. A hand washing point or hydro-alcoholic gel will be made available to voters at two separate points in order to avoid the crossing of flows. The material made available to voters (pens, storage, ballot boxes, voting booths) will be cleaned frequently during the ballot and the polling station will be aired very regularly. Self-tests will be made available to people taking part in the organization or the running of the ballot who wish to do so.