The city of Nice is facing a low number of volunteer assessors for the legislative elections. To remedy this, the town hall is offering a bonus of 190 euros.
In Nice, the polling stations for the legislative elections of June 30 and July 7 could be understaffed with assessors. To guarantee the proper conduct of the polls, the Nice town hall has decided to offer a bonus of 190 euros.
Only around 160 volunteers have declared themselves while 1,000 assessors are needed. A call for applications has been posted by the municipality on its website.
“It’s not bad, it motivates people, it could potentially interest me,” says a Nice resident. “Who’s paying?” replies a second. “It’s very good, because people need money.”
However, in this game, the municipality’s costs could further increase because according to the electoral code, the assessors are volunteers. The legislation therefore prohibits any remuneration.
Although this situation probably does not hinder the legitimacy of the vote, the municipality is nevertheless exposed to sanctions. Penalties which “would rather be financial”, according to Benjamain Morel, constitutional expert and lecturer at the University of Paris-Panthéon-Assas.
“As soon as the employment of assessors is illegal, the attribution of responsibility goes directly to the community,” he adds to BFMTV.
The municipality defends itself
The city of Nice, for its part, ensures that it is not illegal. “The case law explicitly tolerates this organization.
This practice is made strictly necessary by the lack of members of the polling stations designated by the candidates and the political parties, it is common in many municipalities”, indicates the metropolis.
The people of Nice have until Friday, June 28 to apply for the position of polling station agents.
Benoît Ruiz with Arthus Vaillant
