In Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine (Seine-Saint-Denis) as elsewhere, the polling stations struggled this Sunday to fill up as much as five years ago.
On the other hand, if there is an administration that has had its fill, it is the local court.
Throughout the day, dozens of voters followed one another.
All removed from the lists against their will, forced to seek justice in order to be able to fulfill their duty as citizens.
“It's quite classic for an election day, appreciates one of the judges in office this Sunday.
But that we receive so many people this time, it is clearly that there is a problem at the level of municipal services.
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Sylvain has lived in Saint-Ouen for fifteen years.
This is the second time he has faced such a pitfall.
“I went to my office, as usual, and as usual they couldn't find me.
The only solution they offered me was to go to town hall, then to court.
A course that I know for having already done it in the municipal elections.
There, I wait for the judge to re-register me automatically so that I can then go and vote at the main polling station.
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"Town hall error"
For many voters, this triptych town hall-court-main office has become redundant.
For which motive ?
In town hall, it is difficult to give a valid answer.
“You are no longer registered!
says an agent on the phone.
"You re-registered when you already were," one of her colleagues tries, even though that's not the case.
“You are registered twice”, justifies another once on the spot.
“A fortnight ago, everything was ok, says a mother.
I found that they had written me off last week.
“On the certificates given to the administrative center in order to be able to request the local judge, the reason leaves little room for doubt: “error of the town hall”, is it registered on a majority of the documents.
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In the end, for the most motivated, you will have to wait between two and four hours in the corridor of the local court to hope to slip your ballot into the ballot box.
The majority are annoyed, even though they are aware that the situation is not due to justice.
"It's an attempt to take away the right to vote," fumes a dad accompanied by his two young children.
Frankly, when you see the weather outside, and the time you have to spend there, you wonder how you still find the motivation to vote.
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Perseverance and patience
A mother seated a few rows further lowers her arms.
" Lets' go.
Too bad.
It's 12:30 p.m., and by the way it's going, I have until 3 p.m.
I give up.
The vote will be for the next time, but it is frankly lamentable.
In rage, some tore up their voter card.
This septuagenarian, who has lived in Saint-Ouen "for forty years", is taking his troubles patiently.
“I am disgusted, but I really want to vote.
So I wait.
At the main polling station, the assessors are not surprised by this army of expelled who present themselves, the judge's decision in hand, to be able to finally choose their candidate.
One after the other, they are added by hand to the attendance book.
Sylvain is delighted not to have "given up".
While being lucid about the fact that “there is a nine out of ten chance that it will be the same next time”.
Anticipating the galley, he had nevertheless called the “competent” services beforehand, who had assured him that everything was in order.
Even the official site of the Dila, which makes it possible to visualize its electoral situation, indicated it to him.
It is obviously not authentic.
Contacted, the town hall of Saint-Ouen struggled this Sunday to explain the high number of these administrative hiccups.
Deputy in charge of the general management of services, Virginie Noblecourt thus confined herself to placing the blame on “bugs linked to INSEE”.