Parliamentary Election, 19 June 2022

Heatwave, June–July 2022  

France experienced unprecedented heatwaves in June and July of 2022. Record temperatures were recorded on, among other dates, 18 June 2022 (Breteau 2022). Due to the health risks posed by the heat, public events outdoors were banned indefinitely (“until the end of the heatwave”) in the Gironde department around Bordeaux – from the afternoon of Friday 17 June, i.e. affecting the weekend of the election itself (BBC 2022). Hospitals were working at full capacity and schoolchildren were told to remain home where alert levels were at their highest (France24 2022). 

Heatwaves in France are occurring earlier in the year due to climate change (Javaheri et al. 2022; France24 2022). In September 2022, the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE) calculated an excess of more than 11,000 summer mortality from the beginning of June to mid-August. Of these, 2,800 excess deaths occurred during three formally defined heatwaves (Roucaute 2023) including the one coinciding with the election.  

Impact on the electoral process  

No significant adjustments were made e.g. to special voting arrangements, accessibility/voting times for clinically vulnerable voters, or other election day arrangements with specific reference to weather conditions. The mayor of Lyon announced that there were measures put in place such as water distribution and fans in polling stations in order to ensure good conditions for voters (Euronews 2022). Recent legal amendments had removed the restrictions on the right to vote for persons with intellectual or psychosocial disabilities and provided for postal voting for voters in prison and detention facilities, as well as simplifying proxy voting. The election administration was effective and enjoyed a high level of public confidence at all levels (OSCE 2022). 

The first round on 12 June 2022 saw a turnout of 47.51 per cent, a small decrease from 2017’s first round (48.7 per cent). The second round had a turnout of 46.23 per cent, an increase on 2017 when it had been 42.64 per cent (International IDEA n.d.).