Can you vote by proxy in French elections?

Reader Question: Can I vote in the upcoming municipal elections by proxy? I will be back in the US during the election period. 

Yes, it is possible for eligible residents to vote by proxy in municipal elections.

You do not need to provide proof of being away, but you must meet voting criteria. 

To vote in the municipal elections, you must be a French citizen (or EU citizen living in France), and be inscribed on the mairie’s electoral roll. 

The deadline to do this passed on February 6, so if you have not done so it is too late for this round of elections – but inscription is recommended for future elections. 

If you fulfil the criteria, you can ask someone to vote on your behalf.

They must also fulfil general voting criteria, and must not vote for anyone else on the same day, but do not need to live in the same commune as you. 

However, they will need to attend your local polling station to vote on your behalf – you can find your local one using the online government service here. 

If you are away for both rounds of the election, you can ask the same person to vote for you twice, or assign two different proxies, although the latter requires you to make two separate applications.

Proxy vote requests can be made for a single election, or one or two rounds, or for elections held during a fixed period of up to one year. 

How to arrange a proxy vote? 

You must set up a proxy vote prior to the election dates (March 15 and March 22 for the upcoming local elections). 

Although this can be done in theory up to one day before the election, it can take some time so doing so as far in advance as possible is recommended if you know you will be away for certain on polling day. 

There are three main ways to apply.

Firstly, online through the ‘MaProcuration’ service.

Fill in the information about yourself and the proxy/ies voting on your behalf – voter registration number and date of birth, or all their civil status information and their polling station – and then use FranceConnect to complete the form. 

Once you have completed the form, you will be given a reference number. 

You must then go to your local police or gendarmerie station or court and present this information alongside proof of ID.

If you are abroad at the time, this can also be done at the nearest embassy or consulate. 

The relevant authority will confirm your request, providing you email confirmation.

If you prefer, the request can be made through a paper form, however you must still print this from a computer to complete by hand before taking it to the relevant local authority to complete the procedure. 

You can also take the uncompleted form to the local authority (with your proof of ID) to complete the form directly with officials. 

Those with a disability can ask an official (police or gendarme) to come to your property to fill out the form and complete the procedure with you.

Finally, if you have a modern plastic French ID card and are eligible to use the ‘France Identité’ service, you can make the request completely online. 

This is useful for residents abroad at the time, who may be located far from their nearest embassy or consulate at the time. 

You can check you have successfully been signed up with a proxy voter here.