Senate Elections: How Does the Election of Senators Work?

Senate elections will take place on September 27th. Candidates in the Alpes-Maritimes must submit a complete list from September 7th to 11th. A few months before the presidential election, the “great electors” will have to vote to elect the senators who will represent them for six years. So, how do these elections work? 

The 348 senators are elected for a term of six years. So that the upper chamber can fulfill its role as an institutional stabilizer, as envisioned by General de Gaulle and Michel Debré, it is renewed by half every three years. This year, it is series 2 that is renewing its seats.

Great electors, proportional voting: how are senators elected?

Those who will be able to vote are the great electors. These electors will vote for a list of several candidates aspiring to the position. This senatorial electoral body comprises approximately 162,000 people, made up of members of parliament, senators, regional and departmental councillors, as well as municipal councillors. This makes the Senate the representative of local authorities. For the 2026 elections, approximately 93,000 great electors will be summoned.

This is made possible through indirect universal suffrage, so citizens do not have to go to the polls. Here, it is a closed college of local elected officials who will vote for one or more senators, according to the department’s demographics.

If it is less populated, a two-round majority voting system is implemented. To win in the first round, you must obtain the majority and at least the votes of 25% of registered electors.

For more populated departments, three or more senators are elected. This is the case for the Alpes-Maritimes, which has five senators. Here, single-round proportional voting is applied. Concretely, seats are distributed according to the highest percentage average.

Alpes-Maritimes: a battle for five seats

Five senators must be elected in the Alpes-Maritimes. Candidates therefore need a list composed of seven candidates, with five main candidates and two alternates. For each list, you must obviously respect gender parity.

This department is the historical stronghold of the Republican party (LR: editor’s note). However, the gains made by the UDR-RN alliance (Union of the Right for the Republic and National Rally) in the region through the municipal elections in March 2026 have reshuffled the cards.

Their victories in major cities such as Menton and Nice allow them to have a favorable mass of great electors. 95% of great electors are municipal councillors. This political reorganization of the Alpes-Maritimes puts the traditional right facing an existential challenge: that of maintaining a majority of seats.

The Senate nonetheless remains majority LR. The RN has only three seats in the Luxembourg Palace, which does not allow it to obtain an official parliamentary group. You must reach ten senators to form one. The Alpes-Maritimes department is therefore highly strategic, as the list of Professor Laurent Castillo could, according to projections, win two to three seats.