After the resignation of Hugo Prevost, voters in the first constituency of Isère will have to elect their new deputy on January 12 and 19. With eleven candidates in the running, more than a million voting documents were enveloped by 80 volunteer officials.
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It's a race against time. This weekend of Saturday January 4 and Sunday January 5, 80 volunteer officials mobilized at the Alpexpo exhibition and conference center in Grenoble to envelop more than 1.3 million voting documents.
Here, the actions are repetitive and the days are long. “We spend the time moistening the sponge, because the envelopes are pre-glued so we only have to wet the strip a little and we close. It's very simple and very repetitive”, explains a volunteer civil servant without interrupting her gesture.
You have to change position a little bit because at the end of the day it's a bit tight, but we're happy to be there.
To avoid pain linked to prolonged posture, she has her little tip: “We have to change position a little bit because at the end of the day it’s a bit tight, but we’re happy to be here,” she adds.
This operation aims to prepare the ballot papers and professions of faith intended for voters in the first constituency of Isère. Eleven candidates are in the running to succeed Hugo Prevost who announced his resignation on October 9 after accusations of sexual violence.
Some participants brought their own equipment to improve their comfort, set the mood and improve efficiency. This is the case of an agent who chose to bring her ironing board and work with a brush rather than a sponge.
“It’s more practical, it prevents me from getting my hands wet and I save time. It’s the sequence of years of experience that makes us improve,” specifies this civil servant, who has volunteered for 30 years to put electoral documents in envelopes.
While the atmosphere is good-natured, the athletes of the day also work in a positive competitive atmosphere. “We try to put together a team in which we already know each other a minimum for greater efficiency and above all, so that the atmosphere is good. Yesterday, we stayed here for 11 hours. We like to see if the tables at side are slower or faster, it's a bit of a competition all the same.” says another regular at putting envelopes.
If remuneration is not the primary motivation, this activity still allows you to supplement the end of the month. Volunteers are paid on performance and around 30 cents per envelope. “We have to get there as quickly as possible. At this table, we are divided into two pairs who put the professions of faith and the ballot papers in the envelopes and then I glue the envelopes”, explains a participant.
We don't get paid a fortune anyway. We are also here because the elections office needed us. As there is a good atmosphere, we are always voluntary.
This Sunday, January 5, the record to be broken was 6,500 envelopes for a total of 1,950 euros to be divided into five equal parts. “We're not paid a fortune anyway. We're also there because the elections office needed us. As there's a good atmosphere, we're always volunteers.”
Thanks to the mobilization of these officials, the 85,000 voters in the first constituency of Isère will be able to vote on time and with full knowledge of the facts this Sunday, January 12, the date of the first round of voting.
