It is an online election which concerns 1.43 million people, according to the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (Insee). From this Friday, French people based abroad will be able, if they wish, to vote early and electronically for the first round of the legislative elections, unlike the presidential election. A total of 11 constituencies are affected.
A double standard that political scientist Christophe Boutin admits not understanding: “For me, it’s not consistent. There is this same direct relationship to democracy when you elect deputies, who make the laws, or the President of the Republic, who runs the State”.
Practical explanations
The first reason seems to be practical. According to Thierry Vedel, member of the Center for Political Research at Sciences-po, CEVIPOF, “French nationals living abroad have more difficulty accessing polling places, while French territory is extremely well-connected in terms of polling stations” . Abroad, voters vote in offices located only in consulates and embassies, which are themselves located in large cities. Voting online would therefore facilitate access to voting for these voters.
Another reason according to Thierry Vedel, the possibility of canceling the result of the election in a constituency, in the event of fraud or violation of the electoral code. And therefore to redo the vote. “What happens regularly” specifies the political scientist.
The issue of security
This practice of online voting had already been tested for the 2012 legislative elections. But not in 2017, the year of the last legislative elections, due to fear of possible cyberattacks. Doubts then hovered over Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election.
“This year, the State had to tell itself that there were no such risks,” comments Romain Rambaud, professor of public law and specialist in electoral law at the University of Grenoble-Alpes. For him, the presidential election is also more sensitive than the legislative ones and must therefore be “more secure” in the face of cyberattacks.
Attract more voters
Added to all this is the question of electoral mobilization. During the last legislative elections, abstention had reached 51.3% in the first round and around 57% in the second. A weaker mobilization than for the presidential election, the two rounds of which attracted 74% and 72% of voters respectively.
For Romain Rambaud, “it is a solution to leave voters in control of their abstention”. “If there was not this possibility, the mobilization would be even weaker” adds the specialist. In 2017, Emmanuel Macron, then candidate for his first presidential election, promised to generalize electronic voting. “A debate today behind us”, assures Romain Rambaud.