French people living abroad denied internet voting due to technical problem? “I will be one of the abstainers in spite of myself”

French people living abroad denied internet voting due to technical problem?  “I will be one of the abstainers in spite of myself”

A confusing error message. Since noon on Friday, May 27, the opening of online voting for French citizens living abroad for legislative elections, hundreds of them have not been able to choose their candidate over the Internet, not being able to validate their ballots. Apprised of the problem, the Ministry of External Affairs states that the concern pertains to users of only a few mailboxes, and no solution has been found yet. While there is only until Wednesday, June 1 to vote online, some voters have been critical of the system they have been eagerly waiting for.

This is the case of Agathe Chagne, who tried to vote from Utrecht (Netherlands), where she settled in early 2022. “I’m So Annoyed, Yet I Was Excited To Vote OnlineYoung assures Franceinfo, an assistant professor at the university. It’s a huge benefit to the people, it makes voting accessible.” But from the Netherlands to the United States, via Thailand, Spain or the United Kingdom, voters have reported a similar problem to FranceInfo: after identifying themselves and choosing their candidate, some do not receive a verification code, which is necessary to confirm their vote. online.

“I understand it’s because my email is on Yahoo! Agathe Chaigne says, This is what everyone saw on social media.” The information has since been confirmed by the State Department, which responded to some voters that the bug pertains only to mailboxes hosted by the US company Yahoo, which also includes the AOL service. “In the digital age, how can you miss an arrangement like this? Zip Gerardin, web developer and artist who has lived in England for twenty-one years, is perplexed. It’s a throwback to 20 years.”

When contacted by FranceInfo, Quai d’Orsay reported on Saturday evening that this technical error had not manifested itself during two full-scale tests conducted in recent months. ,Technical support teams are currently working on fixing this problem, Ministry says. Voters have been notified and will be notified again when‘It will be resolved.’

Meanwhile, concerned French people living abroad are hopeful that a solution will be found before Wednesday, when the online voting service officially kicks off. For many, the alternatives proposed by the French authorities (come to vote on the ballot, vote by proxy or mail) are not satisfactory. nine months pregnant For example, Agathe Chagne does not plan to travel to Amsterdam. In England, this technical bug disrupts the plans of Zip Gerardin, who is unable to create a power of attorney. “If it is not resolved in time, I will be one of the abstainers in spite of myself”He regrets.

At present, it is difficult to determine the number of voters affected by this problem. In some constituencies, it is around 10% of those registered in the lists. “In San Francisco, 12.8% of voters Yahoo!” make use of. In California, for example, consular adviser Franceinfo tells Loic Le Gland, who fears this concern will encourage avoidance. Still in the United States, Julian Cavanagh, advisor to French people living abroad, based in Boston (Massachusetts), points out that overseas constituencies are sometimes vast. “At home, for example, some have to drive five hours to come and vote in person in Boston, it’s hard to bear, He warns. They will do it for the presidential election, but it is far less certain for the legislative people.”

Embarrassed, some voters are even rebelling and do not intend to stop there. This is the case of Johnny Blumoutier, who has been living in Spain for more than twenty years, who is planning to claim “Invalidation of a vote for not respecting the principle of equity”, Contacted Franceinfo, several candidates running in overseas constituencies said “Consider taking legal action” If online voting is not made fully functional quickly enough to request an extension , A new vote too.

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