While the first round of the presidential election takes place on Sunday, many French people have already planned not to go to the polls. However, some of them have decided to offer their right to vote to foreigners who do not have it.
Launched in 2017 during the last presidential election, marked by an abstention rate of 25%, this innovative initiative by the Alter-votant collective has enabled many foreigners to make their democratic voice heard.
“How is it that we end up with so many people who do not want to vote on the one hand and so many people who cannot? There is therefore a problem with this electoral system, ”lamented Thomas Berteigne, co-founder of the collective, on CNEWS.
Dozens of French will still offer their right to vote to immigrants wishing to influence the presidential election and do not have the right to vote.
“Offer this “privilege” to someone who really wants to vote”
“Finally, I may have more interest in offering this” privilege “to someone who really wants to vote, because me, if I do it, it’s not out of desire”, explained a voter abstentionist, also named Thomas, at the microphone of CNEWS.
For Bruno, a Master’s student in political studies at the EHESS of Portuguese nationality and in France since the age of 8, this opportunity will represent a real chance. “I am someone who lives in a country and cannot vote there, whereas I can vote in my country of origin… My vote does not make sense because I vote in a country where I do not live I don’t and that I don’t frequent much so I don’t know much about politics. Whereas here, I watch the news every day and I can’t do anything, ”analyzed the latter on CNEWS.
Thanks to “Alter-votant”, Bruno will therefore give the name of the desired candidate to Thomas, who will deposit this ballot in the ballot box this Sunday.
On its website, the collective Alter-votant has totaled 4.3 million people born in a foreign country and 800,000 foreigners born in France who do not have the right to vote.