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In France, is voting compulsory?
Model-written, not yet read by a native reader.
Correct answer: No, voting is a right. No, voting is not compulsory: it is a right. Voting is free, personal and secret. You can vote for someone else only with a proxy (procuration). Source: the Ministry of the Interior sheet “Les conditions pour voter en France (1/2)” (in French).
Sources: Sheet “Les conditions pour voter en France (1/2)” (French), read on 21 October 2026. Answer written by Hexaciv from this source. Hexaciv is an independent preparation tool. It is not an official website, is not linked to any government body and does not give legal advice. The authoritative source is the Ministry of the Interior's, cited on this page.
The four choices and why
- ✓ No, voting is a rightNon, voter est un droitCorrect answer. No, voting is not compulsory: it is a right. Voting is free, personal and secret. You can vote for someone else only with a proxy (procuration).
- ✗ Yes, all citizens must voteOui, tous les citoyens doivent voterVoting is not compulsory, even if it matters for democracy.
- ✗ Yes, but only in the presidential electionOui, mais seulement à l'élection présidentielleVoting is not compulsory in any election.
- ✗ Yes, but only for people under 30Oui, mais seulement pour les personnes de moins de 30 ansThere is no duty to vote based on age.
What the source says
« Le vote n'est pas obligatoire, c'est un droit et non un devoir. »
Sentence copied word for word from the source, in French, read on 21 October 2026.
How it reads on exam day
The exam is in French, so this is the question you will see: « En France, est-il obligatoire de voter ? ». Learn the English idea above and the French words in the options.
This question comes from the list of the naturalisation version of the exam (PDF relayed by Le Français des affaires, read on 14 October 2026; the Ministry's own page for this list did not answer). The list's wording: “En France, est-ce obligatoire de voter ?”.
Where the Ministry explains it
Sheet “Les conditions pour voter en France (1/2)” (French).
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