The tables are set up, the ballots are there and the polling booths are set up. Patrick Dupont, Head of General Affairs and Information Reception at Châteauroux Town Hall, checks that everything is in place in 32 polling stations before the first round of early parliamentary elections scheduled for Sunday 30 June. He is the one who orchestrates the administrative and logistical aspect of these elections. He must have done it especially quickly: “The time pressure was still important for us because we had to start again with a full election in three weeks, whereas we usually prepare it over at least two months..” explains Patrick Dupont.
“It’s really done in record time”
“The days were long because the candidates had to declare very quickly, [il a fallu] put an envelope in place, re-book all the premises for the polling stations, recruit staff to be secretaries, so it really is done in record time” tells the head of the department of general affairs and information reception. Note that, unlike other cities, there was no need to cancel a wedding because of the election, which occupies buildings that are sometimes used for the ceremonies. Solutions were found each walk.
Proxy requests are on the rise
Until the last minute, municipal employees receive and register proxy requests and, as in the rest of France, they are on the move for these early legislative elections: we spoke this Saturday at the beginning of the afternoon 1,135 proxies in Châteauroux, where there are usually between 300 and 400, depending on Patrick Dupont. “It is practically multiplied by three” calculates whoever orchestrates the administrative aspect of these elections in the municipality.
Manon Klein
32 polling stations and 88 registered prisoners
Patrick Dupont checked compliance at the 32 polling stations in Châteauroux. The 32nd is dedicated to the prisoners of the central house of Saint-Maur and those of the Craquelin prison center. A total of 88 are listed on the election lists. “It is the representatives of the establishments who come with a postal vote from the prisoners” explains Patrick Dupont. Among the regulatory elements to be checked: order of ballots. They are not randomly placed on the table. They must be adjusted according to the lottery that took place in the prefecture (each candidate is assigned a number.
No problems with assessors according to the deputy mayor
According to the deputy mayor in charge of elections, Florence Petipez, there were no difficulties in finding assessors in Châteauroux: “We still had a question mark, because first of all it was unexpected, so we said to ourselves: there are lots of people who are not going to be there, but no, people are mobilizing“. The Deputy Mayor can especially count on a few faithful onesthat answers every time.
If the city of Châteauroux was able to set up the polling stations, find the assessors and administer the proxy requests in time, Patrick Dupont nevertheless hopes not to relive this situation again soon: “We succeeded in the challenge, but I hope it doesn’t happen too often.“.
Manon Klein
