We explain to you what happens to invalid ballots after an election

It is not widely known, but after an election, so-called “null” ballots, meaning they cannot be taken into account for an election, are kept in the archives of each department. A week after the second round of the legislative elections, franceinfo explains how and why.

The day after the second round of the legislative elections, on July 7, we saw many publications bloom on social networks listing “the best invalid ballots” slipped into the ballot boxes. There were nearly 400 of them 000 for this election alone, according to the Interior Ministry.

Drawings, photomontages, fanciful candidates, angry messages and even an authentic 1958 ballot paper for Charles De Gaulle, citizens have, as always, competed in inventiveness to express their choice of… not choosing, precisely. But after an election, where do all these ballots considered “null” go, that is to say they cannot be taken into account for the vote? ? Franceinfo explains to you.

From the polling station to the prefecture, from the prefecture to the departmental archives

The journey of invalid ballots begins in the polling station. Once it is closed to voters, the counting process begins, that is, the opening of the envelopes containing the ballots and the counting of the votes. This is when the valid ballots, those that can be taken into account for the vote, are separated from the invalid and blank ballots.

Valid ballots are sent to the town hall where they will be kept for 15 days, in case a recount is necessary, then destroyed. On the other hand, invalid and blank ballots are sent the same evening to the departmental prefecture, stapled to what is called the “minutes” of the polling station. This is a multi-page form, in A3 format, in which the president of the office records all the operations that were carried out during the count.

Once at the prefecture, the invalid ballots will be sent, with the minutes, to the departmental archives. But not all of them will be kept, there simply wouldn’t be enough space. ! The invalid ballots will therefore undergo a sort of examination to assess whether or not they have any heritage value. It is the departmental archivists who must decide, also taking into account the human and financial resources and the space available to preserve them. “The aim is to give a true picture of what the vote was likeexplain the departmental archives of Val-d’Oise. NOTWe have an obligation of neutrality. When the revolutionaries created the departmental archives, they wanted to ensure the transparency of political life vis-à-vis citizens. That is our objective.”

The ballots are stored in “chemically neutral” boxes.

Once transferred to the departmental archives, the bulletins will be, like the other documents, carefully packaged. “To prevent them from getting damaged, we keep the ballots in what are called ‘archive boxes’detail the departmental archives of Val-d’Oise. These boxes must be chemically neutral, that is to say they must have a pH of 7. If their pH is too acidic, the paper will be damaged. We remove all staples or paper clips to avoid rust that attacks the paper, but also plastic (elastic bands, glues, adhesive tapes) to avoid any chemical reaction over time.”

The archive boxes themselves are kept in archive stores, rooms whose temperature and humidity are carefully controlled. In the departmental archives of Val-d’Oise, for example, the oldest spoiled ballots preserved date from the referendum initiated in 1969 by General De Gaulle. And the service retains even election reports since 1945. A real treasure for historians, sociologists and ordinary citizens, preserved in 26 linear kilometers of premises.

Bulletins available for consultation in the reading room

The bulletins are now available for consultation. To do this, you must go to the reading room of the archives of your department. But be careful : you can’t access them just anyhow, because the documents are fragile and risk being damaged. ! “You cannot enter our reading room with a pen, only with a pencil.details the departmental archives of Val-d’Oise. Scissors are prohibited, as are, of course, food and drinks.”

The consultation of documents is also done under the supervision of archivists, responsible for advising and guiding visitors, but also ensuring that they do not damage the documents. Researcher Jérémie Moualek, lecturer in sociology at the University of Evry Paris-Saclay, was able to access the invalid bulletins from the Val-d’Oise departmental archives. In 2022, he published the best ones on his Twitter account, thus illustrating the inventiveness and diversity of opinions expressed in these bulletins.