HOW TO VOTE in France

The European elections take part in France on 26 May 2019. Anyone aged 18 or over can cast a vote. It’s also possible to vote by proxy or from abroad if certain conditions are met.

The elections take place on 26 May 2019 in France.

In the overseas departments of Guadeloupe, Martinique and French Guiana, the overseas "collectivités" of Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, Saint-Barthélemy, Saint-Martin and French Polynesia, as well as in the polling stations open in embassies and consulates on the American continent, the election will take place on Saturday 25th May.

Voters in France have to vote in a specific polling station in the town hall of their commune, based on their home address or on where they have been paying local taxes for the past five years.

For more information, check out this website

In order to vote, French residents need to be registered on the electoral list of their “commune”. The commune, or “municipalité”, where they will vote can be:

the “municipalité” in which they hold permanent residence or have been living infor at least 6 months
the “municipalité” where they have been subject to paying taxes for the last 5 years : the spouse/husband/official partner can also register in that municipalité according to this rule ;
for civil servants, their residence of mandatory assignment

In France you have to be at least 18 to vote in the European elections.

You will need to register before 31 March 2019.

If you have already registered for previous elections, or if you are a first-time voter and have been informed by your local town hall that you are registered, you won’t need to register in advance, as this is done automatically by the authorities.

However, if you have changed your home address recently, you will need to register with the town hall of your new commune. If you are voting for the first time and have not been contacted by your local authority, you should also do this.

Information for first time voters

Information for voters who have changed their address

You can register in the town hall of the commune where you will vote (see above) or you can register online.

For more information, check out this website

Your voting card and your identity card or passport.

No, in France voting by mail for the European elections is not permitted.

No, in France online voting is not possible.

Yes, the "vote par procuration" is possible. Find out more here

Yes, you can, but you have to register to vote by 31 March 2019 at the very latest.

Voters will elect 79 MEPs in 2019, five more than in the 2014 elections. Of the 79 elected, 74 will take their seats after the election, and the remaining five following the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the EU.

In France, there will be just one national constituency, which means people across the country choose from the same lists of candidates.

Political parties have to clear at least 5% of the votes in order to be elected to the Parliament.

Under EU law, all countries must use voting systems that ensure proportional representation, which means that the number of elected members from each party depends on the share of electoral votes obtained by the party.

France uses closed lists, which does not allow voters to change the order of candidates on the list.

Political parties or individual people who wish to stand for the elections should register with the national election authority 37 days prior to election day. You should find a complete list of all candidates on their website once the registration period expires.

How can I vote in other countries?

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