2017 presidential and legislative elections: Nine out of ten registered voters voted in at least one round

In 2017, 44 million French people living in France (excluding Mayotte) are registered on the electoral roll and are therefore eligible to vote in France's presidential and legislative elections. 14% of them abstained in every round of voting, and 86% voted in at least one of the four rounds: 35% voted in every round of the elections, and 51% voted intermittently. Two out of ten voters voted only in the two presidential polls. This trend is more marked among young people and immigrants.

Turnout for the legislative elections is much lower than for the presidential election: 85% of registered voters voted at least once in the presidential election, compared with 58% in the legislative elections. The analysis of proxy voting applications confirms this trend: There are twice as many applications for the presidential election as for the legislative elections.

The majority of systematic abstainers in the 2017 elections are young (below 30) or elderly (over 80). They are also more likely to be unqualified; they have a lower standard of living than other voters, and are more likely to be inactive or to be blue-collar workers. Systematic abstention is particularly high in overseas departments.