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THE KEYS TO THE ÉLYSÉE. Until the end of the presidential campaign, the Antisèche of the Journal du Dimanche will define the words of the political debate. Because there are never any stupid questions, our section will go over the concepts used by all the candidates and commentators without us ever taking the time to explain them.
It is a ritual with a precise organization. The operation of a polling station is governed by the electoral code, the set of laws relating to elections. The number of polling stations per municipality is decided by prefectural decree, but there must not be more than 1,000 registered in each.
A polling station is:
- a discharge table where the voter has his identity verified and on which the ballot papers and envelopes are placed;
- voting booths (there must be one for every 300 registrants and one must be accessible to people with reduced mobility);
- a voting table on which we find the famous ballot box. The latter must have at least four transparent faces and, as we do not joke with security, it must have two different locks.
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It is on this table that the members of the polling station sit. Here are their titles and functions.
- The president of the polling station: it is the mayor or one of the municipal councilors of the commune. If there are more polling stations than councillors, the president is an elector appointed by the mayor.
- Assessors, nominated by the candidates. They must verify that there is no fraud.
- Secretary, responsible for drafting the minutes at the end of the count.
Voting ends either at 7 p.m. or 8 p.m. This is followed by the crucial counting stage: the ballot box is opened, the envelopes are grouped into packets of one hundred then distributed once more on the counting tables where the ballots are counted, under the eyes of scrutineers. Once the counting is finished, the secretary draws up the minutes in duplicate. The president then announces the results in public and displays them in the voting room.
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