At each election, the same practice returns … Twitter is swarming with coded messages, relaying trends, rumors about the results … The official results of the 1st round of regional elections as of departmental elections will however only be published. from 8 p.m.
Can we consult the results of the polls of the 1st round of regional and departmental elections on June 20, 2021? The answer is no. No French media is authorized to do so, given the legislation. This is strict, and for good reason: if information about the results of regional as well as departmental elections leaks before the ballot is closed, then this may prompt voters who have been warned to possibly change their vote. You should also know that our Belgian and Swiss colleagues and neighbors feel free to give figures before 8 p.m. on election day. The RTBF, Le Soir and La Libre websites Belgium had given initial indications, around 7 p.m. on the European elections in 2020, and on the legislative elections in 2017.
The Tribune de Genève had done the same on the other side of the Alps. They had already published estimates drawn from polls in the first and second rounds of the presidential election. The RTBF even invoked rigorous work: “As always during polls in France, RTBF will inform you of the results in real time. However, we will only give figures if they are verified and reliable, as in previous polls” , warned the media.
Find the results of the regional elections in one click from 8 p.m.
Find in one click from 8 p.m. the results of the departmental elections
The RadioLondres hashtag in the top Twitter trends
Still, on Twitter, a habit has developed for nearly 10 years now: every election Sunday, in the afternoon, Internet users launch rumors in a coded manner. In the 1st round of municipal elections in 2020, however, rumors were very few, given the nature of the ballot. A few messages poured in to assure that “from well-informed sources”, it was planned to cancel or postpone the second round ballot, initially scheduled for March 22 and finally postponed to the end of June in the context of the health crisis.
How did “Radio London” come about?
“Radio London” was born almost 10 years ago, during the legislative elections. During the election, many Twittos then have fun broadcasting data, more or less verifiable, in the form of coded messages. As soon as it appeared, the hashtag #RadioLondres was transformed (or taken over) by a young man of 15, passionate about politics, Hugo Travers. He made it into a dedicated account, still on Twitter (@RadioLondres_fr), then launched a website, Radio-londres.fr, which was once displayed as “a participatory media managed by a team of young volunteers aged 15 to 26. with the ambition to give a facelift to the info “. Hugo Travers then became a successful YouTuber with his “HugoDécrypte” videos. However, at the start, it was indeed an offense that gave birth to this great adventure. The law, in particular article 11 of Law n ° 77-808 of July 19, 1977 relating to the publication and dissemination of certain opinion polls, is formal: it is forbidden to disseminate any result, any estimate or any poll before 8 p.m. on voting day.
Will there be more coded messages, such as “The rose fades in such a city” or “the lists of macaroons have melted in the sun” this Sunday? It is possible, because the stake is different this evening and surprises are not excluded in several large municipalities of France. But be careful to be careful when reading these messages: since the hashtag has existed, observers have found that in reality, many trends given do not correspond to anything or are the fact of activists who want to muddy the waters before the time of results. So be careful to refer to reliable sources on the Web, starting on Twitter!
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