How to vote in France

As you may know, France has a new president! François Hollande was elected yesterday and starts officially next week. I went with my host parents both times to vote and it is definitely different than from in the states.

Hollande

If you want to come and vote in France here's how you do it:

I mean you do have to be a French citizen but I'll just assume you already are...

In the mail you get sent packets for each one of the candidates (there were 10 this year I think) and an election card. The packets are all the same size and highlight what the candidate will do if elected. With these brochures you also get a white note card piece of paper for each candidate with just their name on it.

The 10 candidates of the 1st round

The Sunday of the first round of elections you go to your voting place (we went to an elementary school) with just your election card. You don't bring the packets or the note cards. There are a few tables in the school with all the candidates names on the little note cards. You take one note card for each candidate and one blue envelope. Then you go into the polling booth where you throw out all the candidates you don't want. As my dad said, this must be very gratifying to throw out the candidate you don't want. You put the candidate you want in the blue envelope, then exit the polling booth and go stand in line. Each line corresponds to a district so you go stand in a line for your district. When you get to the front of the line there is a table with a clear box that you put your blue envelope in. There's a little flap and a person who is working the  box pulls a lever and your envelope drops in! Here's where your election card comes in. You show it to another person who is working at the table and they look for your number. Each voter has a different number and then the person opens a book up to the page that your number corresponds to and you sign next to your number. Then ANOTHER person takes your card and stamps it. Then your done! 

Election Card

The results of the 1st round are announced that night, and them the top two candidate go onto the second round where the president is elected. The second round happens two weeks after the first round and in between the two rounds the top two candidates campaign and have a debate. 

Sarkozy vs. Hollande

Then the second round happens and by that night you know the president!



Now you know how to vote in France but here are some random things about voting you should probably know also:

-The polls all open at the same time in France but they close at different times. They close earlier if you are in a small town and later if you are in a city. They all close by 8:00 when the results are first allowed to be reported. If you don't live in France but you are a citizen they obviously don't open at the same exact time. I'm pretty sure they open a day before...

-Voting always takes place on Sundays because it is really rare to work on Sundays. it's rare in the us too but in France literally nothing is open on Sundays.

-There are no estimations of results during the day in French media. It all gets revealed at 8:00 Sunday night. If a media outlet posts estimations they get a fine of 40,000ish dollars.

- BUT there are estimations of websites in Belgium and Switzerland. Pierre found that some websites work but others are blocked on election day by the government.

-Even though the citizens don't know the results of the elections the candidates do- so they can write a speech about how they are going to be a great president or how they would have been a great president

-All candidates have en equal amount of press time. They all go on the same shows so they can have equal time.


- On election day the candidates are not allowed to talk to the media before 8:00pm and nothing that endorses them is allowed to be said before 8:00. This was a bit funny because obviously, there is coverage of the elections during the day but they just show shots of the candidates and members of their respective parties but they can't even say anything! 

Okay now you pretty much know everything! Comment if you have questions and FOLLOW