Nice Premium: Patrick Allemand, like the PC, you have requested a moratorium on voting machines. Can you explain what this entails?
Patrick Allemand: I was alerted to this issue back in February, and on behalf of the federation, I requested this moratorium officially through a letter dated February 21. The Prefect replied to me on March 15 stating that such a decision was beyond his jurisdiction, but rather under the Ministry of the Interior. Consequently, I alerted the campaign directorate and Solférino, and the National Bureau of the Socialist Party (PS) has taken an official stance demanding this moratorium.
NP: Nearly 89,000 voters will be called to vote electronically. Are you worried about malfunctions or other incidents?
PA: Yes. Hervé Rivano, who is a researcher, and several others are adamant. There can be malfunctions. You should ask him, as I am not a specialist; he would answer this with precision. However, there can also be fraud, which has been proven. For instance, Ireland, which had purchased 7,500 nedap machines (one of the 3 models), decided to stop using them.
NP: Computer expertises have demonstrated the limits of the reliability of this type of voting. Can you tell us more about these expert analyses?
PA: You really need to ask a researcher. He would tell you some startling things.
NP: Many presidential candidates contest this form of election, so why use it?
PA: I think that the French people are not ready for this type of vote, which is in any case less transparent than the plexiglass of our ballot boxes. In these circumstances, the decision of a moratorium is the wiser choice. Let us not forget that more than 1 million voters would be affected.
In 2002, Jospin did not reach the second round by 240,000 votes. Just imagine. We must not allow the Côte d’Azur or the Hauts de Seine to become Sarkozy’s Florida, or that of any other candidate.
France is the home of democratic excellence; I do not want our country to make headlines worldwide because we are counting and recounting votes for several days.
NP: Will this voting method also be used for the upcoming Legislative and Municipal elections?
PA: If we obtain the moratorium, it will not be used for the legislative elections either. The municipal elections, that’s another matter, another sequence. The PS’s suggestion is to refer this issue to a parliamentary debate to be decided by the new majority. That seems fair.
NP: Finally, what is your personal feeling about electronic voting?
PA: First of all, I do not like anything that depersonalizes daily life actions. I don’t like booking my train ticket via computer, for example. So, imagine voting. Voting is still somewhat a solemn act. There is a whole ceremony to it. People have died for the right to vote. To reduce it to just tapping this or that option, I find it disheartening.
