Meet the municipal candidate signing up constituents at random
Stéphane Lenfant's innovative approach in Noyal-sur-Vilaine uses random selection to enhance participatory democracy in local elections.
The unorthodox local elections move is aimed at encouraging citizen participation
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A municipal candidate is leading a campaign in which a third of his list was selected at random, in an effort to promote participatory democracy.
Stéphane Lenfant, vice-president of the Ille-et-Vilaine department, is running the independent list Noyal avec Vous in Noyal-sur-Vilaine, a town of 6,000 inhabitants east of Rennes, ahead of the municipal elections on March 15 and 22.
His list includes 29 candidates. However, 10 of them were selected using an unorthodox method.
Mr Lenfant sent 200 letters to randomly chosen postboxes across the town. The content of the letter explained his approach and reasoning, and invited recipients to meet him at a gathering in December.
The event attracted a small number of residents, who shared their views and ideas for the town. Mr Lenfant said three candidates were added to the list following the meeting.
“Nowadays, you need to make that kind of offer for your list to be called ‘citoyenne’,” said Mr Lenfant. “You need to match people’s needs as closely as possible,” he added.
He said the idea was drawn from experience, having observed how discussions and ideas become more engaging when using random selection or panel-based procedures.
This is his third mayoral campaign, following two unsuccessful attempts in 2014 and 2020.
Randomly selecting candidates is one of several approaches being tested to encourage citizen participation in local life, with mixed results.
The Connexion interviewed Régis Defraye, the mayor of Verteillac, in its November edition. Mr Defraye revitalised his Dordogne village by introducing what he described as démocratie implicative (implicative democracy).
President Emmanuel Macron has organised three conventions citoyennes on climate change, end-of-life issues and, most recently in November, on children’s development. In each case, 140 citizens were randomly selected to develop ideas over seven sessions.
Ecology-focused newspaper Reporterre noted that, following the climate change convention, the government implemented only 15 of the 149 proposals put forward by the 150 citizens selected.
“The divide between politicians and the people is a fact. We have to reconcile with one another,” said Mr Lenfant.
