Legislative: why we do not vote in certain constituencies

All French people are called to the polls for the second round of the legislative elections, this Sunday.

Faced with abstention in the first round – more than one in two voters did not move, a record for this ballot – Emmanuel Macron even called earlier in the week for a “Republican start”.

However, in several constituencies, voters will not vote, since their MP has already been elected… in the first round.

In total, more than 371,000 voters who were called to vote for the first round are not this Sunday, June 19.

Are concerned those whose deputy was already elected last Sunday: these are therefore those of the seventh constituency of Seine-Saint-Denis, where Alexis Corbière was elected in the first round, of the 6th, 16th and 17th constituencies of Paris, where were designated Danièle Obono, Sophia Chikirou and Sarah Legrain, as well as those of the third constituency of Mayenne, where the outgoing deputy Yannick Favennec was also re-elected in the first round.

More than 50%, but not elected

It was not enough to get more than 50% of the votes to be elected in the first round.

Marine Le Pen, in the 11th constituency of Pas-de-Calais, had thus obtained 53.96% of the vote last Sunday.

In the 4th constituency of Bouches-du-Rhône, left by Jean-Luc Mélenchon to Manuel Bompard, the candidate of La France insoumise won 56.04% of the vote.

To be elected in the first round, it is therefore necessary to obtain more than 50% of the votes, but these must come from at least 25% of the registered voters, which is difficult to obtain when abstention is high.

Apart from the five deputies already elected, there are therefore 572 free seats in the National Assembly to be “distributed”.

Polling stations will be open this Sunday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., or even 7 or 8 p.m. in major cities.