With 10 days to go before the first round of the presidential election, franceinfo gave the floor to those who do not wish to express themselves at the polls, to better understand why so many citizens are detached from politics and the issues of the ballot. Presented by Canelle Sabourin and Nacer Boubekeur, “So, do we vote?”, a 2-hour live broadcast on France TV’s Twitch channel, aimed to give voice to abstainers and people involved in community life to better understand their points of view and discuss new ways of getting involved.
Beyond the fact that “many feel that their vote does not change much in their daily life”Céline Braconnier, director of Sciences Po Saint-Germain-en-Laye and guest of the stream on Twitch, gives other reasons for the abstention: “There are election campaigns and political benchmarks that are no longer able to get those who are not very interested in politics to vote.”
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For the political scientist, socio-demographic factors are also to be analyzed. “Without a right/left benchmark, there are a lot of people who can no longer understand the offer. Not everyone necessarily sees the small differences between the candidates”she explains.
In the chat, the question of compulsory voting was notably raised. As a reminder, some countries such as Belgium apply this measure with fines ranging from 30 to 150 euros if there is a repeat offence.
The director of Sciences Po Saint-Germain-en-Laye does not deny the harmful effects of compulsory voting. But she explains that when it is put in place, this system changes the relationship between candidates and voters.“When the poor vote as much as the rich, as the young as much as the old, the candidates will see themanalyzes Céline Braconnier. They highlight the measures that concern them in their programs.
On the Discord of Franceinfo, several people engaged in the associative field spoke. Positive initiatives, emphasizes Céline Braconnier, but “we must not abandon the vote to those who have an interest in seeing participatory democracy confiscated”she adds.
The objective of the live was to give the floor to the audience. This was done through the Franceinfo Discord. Two associations expressed themselves. The first one, “All Chosen”aims to fight against the mis-registration on the electoral lists and to train “elected citizens” to political life. The issue of abstention in working-class neighborhoods was also addressed, thanks to the association “Not without us”.
Five abstainers also expressed themselves on the Discord. Like Mehdi, 24, who admits not “to take an interest in the programs of the candidates for this election”. In civic service in Aix-en-Provence, he is however engaged in associations, but regrets that“no measure has any attraction over him”.
The entire live “So, do we vote?” can be found on the Twitch channel of France Télévisions.