Some nursing home residents may have only a few steps to take to deposit a ballot in the ballot box during the 2022 presidential election.
In any case, this is what columnist Alexis Poulin says in a video from the RT France channel posted on his Twitter account. “For the next world, I chose to talk about abstention since that will also be the unknown of the presidential election. And then there is the Korian group […], who has a solution and who offers [d’installer] polling stations within its establishments, ”he said during a debate with a colleague on the Russian media set.
🔴 Ehpad transformed into polling stations?
This is the plan of the Korian group.Watch the show #LDDE ➡️https://t.co/0O48nB4MRe pic.twitter.com/ox2ood8bLm
– Alexis Poulin (@ Poulin2012) October 17, 2021
“It’s incredible, since there we have a private group – you know that it is the municipalities that organize the elections and we do not put polling stations anywhere. There, you have the enarque at the head of the Korian group which works with the public authorities and who says “Here, as our residents cannot move …” “, he continues again, while his colleague tells him about ‘a different point of view: “Don’t you think it could be a good thing if it was done well?” That is to say, we are going to look for voters, since abstention is a plague of this democracy for the moment… ”
FAKE OFF
If the video does not specify on which source Alexis Poulin relies to advance this assertion, the latter had shared a few days earlier, on Twitter, an extract from the magazine Challenges About that.
“The French leader of nursing homes Korian, headed by Sophie Boissard, will present at the beginning of 2022 a system aimed at combating electoral abstention with the census of residents registered on the lists, citizen awareness raising and installation, in consultation with the public authorities, of vote in establishments ”, indicates this brief published in the October 14 issue.
“No decision has been taken at this stage”
Contacted by 20 minutes, the Korian group indicates that “discussions have taken place with several municipalities” but qualifies: “Most remain cautious, even reserved. So no decision has been made at this point, it’s more reflections. “
On the other hand, the group claims the “sensitization of its residents” to the exercise of the right to vote, through a series of workshops carried out for several years, in particular because of the “concerns” of the families of residents, residents or elected officials on “the conduct of electoral ballots. “
For its part, the Ministry of the Interior confirms that “there are no discussions between the Ministry of the Interior and the Korian group about the installation of polling stations within their establishments” . While recalling the essential principles of electoral law: “The creation and the places of installation of the polling stations of a commune are decided by the prefect on proposal of the mayor […]. In order to ensure the smooth running of electoral operations, a polling station should not have more than 800 to 1000 registered voters. “
A place which “must not be such as to alter the sincerity of the ballot”
While polling stations can legally be set up in a private location, this scenario is only possible under certain conditions. “It is recommended that the polling place be a public building (town hall, school, gymnasium, village hall). Failing that, it can be a private place to which access is free at the time of the ballot. However, this possibility should only be implemented in the event of unavailability of public buildings, ”explains the ministry.
Thus, “free access to the polling station [doit être] guaranteed ”, the site must be able to be“ open during normal polling hours ”and, above all,“ the place used must not be such as to alter the sincerity of the ballot ”,“ no dispute [devant] be able to be raised about a possible influence on the voters ”.