France | International IDEA

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Year	Election type	Voting method	First year	Comments
2020	Presidential Legislative Referendums European Parliamentary elections Some seats in the Senate	Personal Proxy e-voting	1926	In 2020, France re-introduced internet voting for overseas voters. However, it will be used only for legislative and consular elections and also elections of French overseas advisers. Data has been updated in April 2022.
2017	Presidential Legislative Referendums European Parliamentary elections Some seats in the Senate	Personal Proxy	1926	France abolished e-voting due to extremely high risk of cyber attack that could affect the conduct of elections. E-voting was used in France since 2012 but was reserved for French nationals abroad for the legislative elections - voting in the presidential elections can only take place in offices set up in consular premises or by correspondence, mainly for reasons of security.
2012	Presidential Legislative Referendums Some seats in Senate	Personal Proxy e-voting	1926	The constitutional reform of 23 July 2008 made it possible for French citizens living outside France to be represented by 11 deputies in the National Assembly. This provision was established by decree on 9 December 2011. In 2012, the 11 deputies will be elected by French citizens abroad for the first time.
1975	Presidential Referendums Some seats in Senate	Personal Proxy	1926	In 1975, France introduced personal voting and abolished postal voting because of the incidence of fraud (update was conducted in 2013).
1948	Presidential Referendums Some seats in Senate	Postal Proxy	1926	In France, since 1948 citizens abroad have been provided with representation in the Senate, and since 1983 this has amounted to 12 seats. However, these 12 senators are not chosen in any direct way by the French abroad; instead they are selected by a college made up of 150 elected members.
1946	Presidential Referendums	Postal Proxy	1926	France introduced proxy voting for servicemen by 1946: by 1951, postal votes and/or proxy votes were available for voters in a range of specified categories, including those on government or military service or professional business away from their home.
1924	Presidential Referendums	Postal	1926	France introduced external voting in 1924: French administrators posted to the occupied Rhineland were enabled to vote by post.

Disclaimer: Maps presented do not imply on the part of the Institute any judgement on the legal status of any territory or the endorsement of such boundaries, nor does the placement or size of any country or territory reflect the political view of International IDEA. Maps are used in order to add visual clarity to data.