Voters will soon be able to establish their proxy vote without having to travel, provided they have a certified digital identity. The Ministry of the Interior is extending this measure to all upcoming elections.
Starting from the municipal elections on March 15 and 22, it will be possible to establish a voting proxy without going to a police station, a gendarmerie, or a town hall. The Ministry of the Interior has announced the generalization of the “fully digital proxy” for all elections. This system is based on the France Identity application, which was already used during the European and early legislative elections.
A simplified procedure for holders of a certified digital identity
Voters with a certified France Identity digital identity can now carry out their request online via the site: maprocuration.gouv.fr. After designating the person to whom they entrust their vote, they validate their identity through the France Identity application. This step replaces the physical identity verification previously required at a police station or gendarmerie.
According to the Ministry of the Interior, this development allows for a “fully dematerialized proxy request or cancellation.” The only condition is to have a certified digital identity, obtained after a visit to the town hall to verify identity documents.
For voters who do not yet have this certification, going to the town hall remains mandatory before being able to use the online service. Once the identity is validated, they can also access the digital procedure.
This system aims to facilitate voting access, especially for those unable to travel on election day. However, it maintains the security guarantees related to verifying the identities of both the person granting the proxy and the proxy themselves.
An extension to all elections
The system was successfully tested during the European elections and then during the early legislative elections. The Ministry of the Interior now announces its deployment for all types of elections. The procedure will therefore be available for upcoming municipal elections, as well as future regional, departmental, presidential, and legislative elections.
The stated objective is twofold: to simplify the lives of voters and to modernize the administrative procedures related to electoral participation. The digital proxy also helps to reduce the number of physical steps during election periods, easing the workload of law enforcement and municipal services.
The site service-public.fr reminds us that the proxy remains a personal and nominative act. A voter can be a proxy for only one other voter, except for exceptions provided for certain elections abroad. The person granting the proxy can cancel it online at any time.
The ministry emphasizes that this development is in line with the France Identity program, launched to provide citizens with secure access to their administrative procedures. This application, compatible with the national electronic identity card, allows individuals to prove their identity online and carry out actions that require strong authentication.
Towards a more accessible administration
The generalization of online proxies illustrates the State’s willingness to adapt public services to digital uses, as seen in several countries such as the United States. For voters, the time saved is evident. For municipalities and law enforcement, digitalization reduces the volume of paper files and in-person verifications.
However, the digital transition assumes that each citizen has the necessary tools—compatible smartphone, electronic ID card, Internet access—and the ability to use them, which is not yet the case for a significant number of French people. To address this, the government reminds that traditional procedures remain available for those who do not wish to, or cannot, use the digital service.
