European elections. An Englishwoman living in France, she will hold the polls without being able to vote: “it’s a lot of frustration”

On June 9, the French are called to the polls to vote in the European elections. In Pillemoine (Jura), it is Alison Monks-Plackett, 78 years old and former elected official of the village, who will hold the ballot boxes. Paradoxical, because the English woman cannot vote since Brexit. A real heartbreaker. Testimony.

From 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., you can find her at the town hall of Pillemoine (Jura), Sunday June 9, 2024. In a week, she will hold the electoral ballot boxes in her village for the European elections. Without being able to exercise their right to vote. A paradoxical situation. A moment that Alison Monks-Plackett, 78, will live like “a heartbreak“.

Since 1992, the Englishwoman has owned a house in Pillemoine. Alison chose this town of 55 inhabitants after leaving her native country to work in Switzerland. Having fallen in love with this place, she immediately got involved. Member of SIVOS (Intermunicipal School Union) which takes care of schools. Active in taking care of green spaces and organizing the recycling center. And above all, municipal councilor, from 2014 to 2020.

2020. A year that resonates sadly with Alison. The year his country, the United Kingdom, left the European Union. A Brexit with direct consequences: departure from the municipal council, and no longer possible to vote in municipal, national or European elections. “Something was taken away from me” she concedes to France 3 Franche-Comté, in perfect French with a slight English accent. “My life is here and I can no longer make myself heard or express myself on subjects that directly impact me and that I experience on a daily basis.“.

I voted in the last European elections. And there, nothing more. It’s very violent to experience. Very frustrating. I live here every day, I have things to say and convictions.

However, Alison followed these European elections closely. “JI watch the debates, the reports, I read the programs” she continues. “When you live in France, you cannot remain indifferent to the situation in the EU. With the war in Ukraine, the ecological emergency… This continent, I have always considered mine. I am a little dispossessed of it, at one of its pivotal moments“.

By her own admission, Alison carries with her a strong ecological conviction, hence her bitterness. “In Pillemoine, we know everyone” she says. “I see the number of people who are not registered to vote, the number of people who will not vote due to lack of interest. I tell myself that my vote could have had a little influence, that I could have participated in changing things where I live. It’s a heartbreak“.

So why did you nevertheless agree to hold the ballot boxes, at the risk of harming yourself? “In the village, there are only five municipal councilors left” she regrets. “Not enough to ensure the smooth running of the vote. The mayor knows my character, so he asked me to help out.”.

I live opposite the town hall, I know everyone. I couldn’t refuse. It will make me feel useful, if nothing better.

A big heart, serving others and the common interest. And who retains a little hope. “I hope to be able, one day, to regain this right to vote” she smiled. “An association of British nationals to file an appeal with the Court of Justice of the European Union to have it returned to us. And then, why not make a change in the French Constitution?“

And take tricolor nationality then? “I thought about it, but it’s a complicated decisione” assures Alison. “It’s a lot of administrative procedures. And then it would be like choosing between my two parents. England remains my country of birth, I don’t want to deny it either. The beauty of the European Union was also this: belonging to a supranational entity, which allowed us to live with our different influences“.