Masked voters, “contactless” campaign… the second round of the municipal elections will be, on June 28, an extraordinary ballot, to complete the electoral cycle interrupted in mid-March by the coronavirus while ensuring the safety of voters. With a stranger: will the French be convinced to go to vote or will the concern over the risks of contamination from Covid-19 again cause abstention to explode?
Who is concerned ?
Sixteen million voters are called to vote in the municipalities where the first round did not elect the full municipal council, or just under 5,000 out of a total of nearly 35,000 municipalities. But the ballot mainly concerns the cities, including the largest, Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Bordeaux ..., where the situation is far from being settled. The result was however acquired as of March 15 in 30,143 other municipalities, mainly rural, whose mayors took office in recent days.
Will the poll be secure?
More than three months after the postponement of the ballot in the midst of the pandemic, strict health rules will be imposed this time to prevent the spread of the virus. "We must guarantee to each Frenchman who comes to vote optimal conditions from a health point of view," said the Minister of the Interior, Christophe Castaner. The measures taken on March 15 will be renewed: marking on the ground, distances between individuals, signature by the voter with his own pen or supply of hydroalcoholic gel. And voters, like the members of the bureau, will have to wear a mask to enter the polling places. The office opening hours could also be extended (up to 8:00 p.m.) to avoid concentrations of people.
Will the voters go to vote?
The government's objective is to avoid a new surge in abstention, which soared to 55.3% in the first round, while municipal elections are traditionally one of the most popular votes for the French. "The first round was a fairly serious trauma for public opinion, with the idea that for political reasons we had kept the ballot despite the risks," said Chloé Morin, expert associated with the Jean-Jaurès Foundation. Both government and elected officials want to encourage proxy voting to allow those at risk, especially the elderly, to vote without traveling. The executive is however very reserved on the possibility of re-establishing the postal vote, because of the risks of fraud and the cost of the operation.
Towards a discount campaign?
No meetings, no door-to-door, avoid contact… the campaign for the second round will be essentially “digital”, on social networks. However, it will be much longer than the usual five days between two rounds and may extend over almost a month. The campaign expense reimbursement limit will also be increased by 20% to account for additional costs. One positive point: the confinement pushed the parties, the candidates as the government, to appropriate the digital tools and to be inventive to be heard. This can fuel longer-term thinking on how to facilitate the vote to bring voters to the polls.
A “super premium” for leavers?
Will this be enough to ensure a balance between the candidates and allow the newcomers to make themselves known? The mandate of outgoing mayors will have been extended by more than three months since the first round. Three months during which elected officials will often have struggled to manage daily life, find masks and help the inhabitants in the midst of a pandemic. Is the usual “exit bonus” for municipal officials likely to be amplified, as denounced by part of the opposition? “Provided they have managed the crisis well, tempers Chloé Morin. There is of course a bonus for leavers, but there it is rather a bonus for those who act and some elected officials were able to miss the mark and be ineffective ”.
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