tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2394835278337306813.post131960881062088735..comments2024-03-21T12:20:09.085+01:00Comments on Totally Frenched Out: Doing my civic dutyKsamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05991667611234163617noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2394835278337306813.post-90429977516902165832012-06-20T02:08:59.349+02:002012-06-20T02:08:59.349+02:00thanks for this, i dote on your accounts of Real F...thanks for this, i dote on your accounts of Real Frenchie Life.purejuicehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04957829225737068395noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2394835278337306813.post-27705583793195999172012-06-20T02:08:27.831+02:002012-06-20T02:08:27.831+02:00This comment has been removed by the author.purejuicehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04957829225737068395noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2394835278337306813.post-66955703613498159232012-06-14T13:10:16.944+02:002012-06-14T13:10:16.944+02:00They accept me fine, I'm not one of "thos...They accept me fine, I'm not one of "those foreigners", the sentence they always tell me. That saying always annoys me and I always answer by calling them hypocrites.Juliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09588490279012729338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2394835278337306813.post-11866359463833021052012-06-12T13:46:02.958+02:002012-06-12T13:46:02.958+02:00This is a great post. I, too, have always wondere...This is a great post. I, too, have always wondered how in the world the elections could be tallied so rapidly, given this incredibly archaic system of counting...it's so much like a grammar school election! This method also is easy to contaminate--all it takes is for one polling location to want to see a certain candidate move forward--so I remain mystified as to why they don't put in electronic voting booths.The Paris Chronicleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02667503853760168339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2394835278337306813.post-91014851834865613342012-06-12T10:40:05.806+02:002012-06-12T10:40:05.806+02:00Thanks for sharing this unique American experience...Thanks for sharing this unique American experience in France! That's awesome that you can vote -- and I'm also envious that they didn't notice your accent! Bravo! :-) Sounds like you're doing well in France adapting and all. :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2394835278337306813.post-56156733959532010192012-06-12T09:06:42.419+02:002012-06-12T09:06:42.419+02:00Oh wow Julie, that's crazy! I'm curious, h...Oh wow Julie, that's crazy! I'm curious, how do the villagers treat you? Do they keep their distance or are you considered are acceptable because you're not one of "those foreigners"?Ksamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05991667611234163617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2394835278337306813.post-89264520986374885012012-06-12T08:56:55.807+02:002012-06-12T08:56:55.807+02:00I once again had a sad result from my village: 47%...I once again had a sad result from my village: 47% voted for the FN candidate despite the fact that the guy died last week.Juliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09588490279012729338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2394835278337306813.post-52155570993664873602012-06-12T08:22:10.109+02:002012-06-12T08:22:10.109+02:00Veronica - I get that they do sampling and exit po...Veronica - I get that they do sampling and exit polls, but I don't get how that allows them to announce the official results at 8 and actually say THIS is who won, without having counted a large majority of the votes. But hey, they obviously have it figured out!<br /><br />And I did find out that the envelopes are recycled for future years, but the voting papers are destroyed on site after the count (with the exception of the votes blancs/nuls, which get sent along with the results to the préfecture). I guess this method is trying to avoid the problems we see in the US with people marking the ballots wrong, or using the wrong pen, etc. You can't really mess up putting a ballot in an envelope (unless you do it on purpose by writing on it, etc).Ksamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05991667611234163617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2394835278337306813.post-83702805560793788212012-06-12T08:07:29.286+02:002012-06-12T08:07:29.286+02:00That's really interesting -- I had no idea tha...That's really interesting -- I had no idea that was how it worked in cities. Intriguing that they just ask random voters to do the count! In our village, the mayor and two of his adjoints do the counting, and two conseillers municipaux do the tallying. Anyone can go along and watch the count. But then the maximum number of votes we can have is 218 :)<br /><br />I don't see why people have a problem about voting <i>blanc</i>. It's a conscious choice, not a form of apathy. These people take the trouble to go to the polling station to express a view that none of the candidates represent them. <br /><br />About the exit polls, they ask a (hopefully representative) sample of people coming out of the polling stations during the course of the day, as well as having the results from places where the polls close at 6. That's why they can figure out a provisional result before 8 pm.<br /><br />What got me this time was the waste of paper! There have to be as many voting slips for each candidate (10 here) as there are voters. So there are a lot of left over slips at the end of the day -- roughly 90% of them. I've often wondered why they don't use a single ballot with a list, like they do in the UK.Veronicahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17271366407941255755noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2394835278337306813.post-1964875094744299002012-06-12T07:14:24.410+02:002012-06-12T07:14:24.410+02:00I know a couple of people that did a 'vote bla...I know a couple of people that did a 'vote blanc' in the second round of the Presidential election and it bugged me so much. <br />And I'm with you, I find it amazing that they can announce the results of an election so early. I still don't fully understand how they can do it that quickly.Sara Louisehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06058056977783867772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2394835278337306813.post-7659170414041894782012-06-11T20:26:08.534+02:002012-06-11T20:26:08.534+02:00Megan - I don't think they recount since each ...Megan - I don't think they recount since each vote is already counted twice. And nope, no counting before the polls close - even the ones who close at 6pm aren't allowed to say until 8pm who won, otherwise they could influence people in the big cities to go vote at the last minute. <br /><br />L- I get that there are sample cities, but I just don't understand how that allows them to announce the final votes at 8pm. Especially since each region votes so differently. But I guess they know what they are doing, since they are usually right on!Ksamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05991667611234163617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2394835278337306813.post-72532439829980452902012-06-11T19:45:23.065+02:002012-06-11T19:45:23.065+02:00On the second round of the Presidential election I...On the second round of the Presidential election I was listening to France Info, and a guest from one of the "audit" companies that prepares the estimations of the results was talking about how they calculate the results. From what I understood, they have pre-determined sample cities/towns where they either get the results around 7pm because the polling station closed at 6pm, or they do exit polling. Then they have proprietary algorithms that calculate what that means on a national level. The guy was talking about how they were a bit off for the first round of the Presidential elections, so they modified their algorithm. I guess they have a panel of towns that give results that represent the spectrum of French politics and then their algorithm does the rest to create national numbers.Lhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07100259488053106803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2394835278337306813.post-56247791076150161522012-06-11T19:09:00.850+02:002012-06-11T19:09:00.850+02:00That's neat! I would have liked to do that. An...That's neat! I would have liked to do that. Anyway, if anyone gives you flak for being there, you are as French as they are.<br /><br />I would have thought that they start counting before the polling closes, so that they have at least most of the votes counted before 8 pm.<br /><br />Also, if it is really close between two candidates, do they re-count those ballots?Meganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07991742540996769458noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2394835278337306813.post-23004223876248154362012-06-11T18:44:41.316+02:002012-06-11T18:44:41.316+02:00I find it really funny that they just asked you to...I find it really funny that they just asked you to do it on the day and you went along because you had nothing better to do. My parents have worked at the polling stations in the UK and it's a lot more informal than you would expect, but they do officially register to do it in advance.<br /><br />I always thought the initial results they gave were based on exit polls and not on the real counts. But I also heard that there's this one town in France that, in the presidentials at least, always has exactly the same result as the national result, so the joke is that they could just get that one place to vote for everyone.Canedoliahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00793959858820555197noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2394835278337306813.post-26268586787494310752012-06-11T16:24:25.845+02:002012-06-11T16:24:25.845+02:00Great report Sam. I don't know which voting sy...Great report Sam. I don't know which voting system is more reliable; manual or electronic. The French system seems so archaic though.corinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17545048098125825778noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2394835278337306813.post-76773982321698973702012-06-11T14:44:09.787+02:002012-06-11T14:44:09.787+02:00i dont understand that voting with an empty envelo...i dont understand that voting with an empty envelope thing either, but thats just what my daughters MIL didmelindahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14337254308066184912noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2394835278337306813.post-14374078363514293792012-06-11T13:54:43.744+02:002012-06-11T13:54:43.744+02:00Interesting stuff, embarrassingly enough I have no...Interesting stuff, embarrassingly enough I have no clue about this election, but of course I can't vote.<br /><br />I'm jealous that they didn't pick up you're a foreigner, I should be so lucky! Although actually last week an old guy asked if I was from the South, I laughed and said "VERY far south!".Gwanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13127784431543135980noreply@blogger.com