Why can't military personnel vote?
Misconception: French military personnel do indeed vote!
✅ Did you know?
Since the ordinance of August 17, 1945, French military personnel have fully enjoyed the right to vote. The question "why can't the military vote" is based on a persistent misconception. In reality, they COULD vote before 1872, they COULD NOT vote from 1872 to 1945, and they HAVE BEEN able to vote for 80 years.
Why can't the military vote? It is a very widespread misconception, but it is false in 2025. French military personnel have been voting freely since 1945, like any other citizen. The confusion comes from a long chapter in French history—73 years during which soldiers were indeed deprived of their right to vote, giving the army the nickname "La Grande Muette."
To understand this fascinating subject, one must go back to the French Revolution and traverse two centuries of turbulent political history. This comprehensive guide explains everything: why the military lost the right to vote, for how long, and why they fully possess it today.
The soldier-citizen: birth of a right under the Revolution (1792)
It was the French Revolution that gave birth to the concept of the "soldier-citizen." Before 1789, the army of the Ancien Régime was made up of mercenaries and professional soldiers who had no particular civil rights. The Revolution overturned this model by affirming that every citizen has the duty to defend the homeland and that every defender of the homeland is a full citizen.
In 1792, the military thus obtained the right to vote, a first in French history. This principle of the soldier-citizen was brought to its peak by the revolutionary and Napoleonic armies, where the simple soldier could theoretically become Marshal of France on merit.
The Cissey law of 1872: why the military lost the right to vote
The turning point occurred on July 27, 1872, under the nascent Third Republic. The Cissey law states in its first article a blunt formula: "Men present in the corps do not take part in any vote." Overnight, hundreds of thousands of soldiers were deprived of their right to vote.
The political reasons behind the Cissey law
This decision is not trivial. It is explained by a very tense political context. The Republicans who founded the Third Republic have not forgotten that it was thanks to the support of the army that Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte succeeded in his coup d'état of December 2, 1851. For them, the army is a suspicious electorate, potentially Bonapartist or monarchist. By depriving the military of the vote, the Republicans ensure the political neutrality of the military institution and eliminate an electoral bloc whose orientations they do not control.
The birth of the "Great Silent One"
This civic exclusion gave rise to the expression "Great Silent One" to designate the French army. Silent at the polls and subject to a strict duty of discretion, the army became an institution outside the political sphere. The laws of 1889, 1905, and 1928 confirmed this exclusion, which persisted through two world wars without being challenged, including after World War I, when career military personnel had amply demonstrated their commitment to the Republic.
Timeline: the voting rights of military personnel in France
Here is the complete summary of the evolution of the voting rights of French military personnel, from the Revolution to today.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1792 | French Revolution: military personnel obtain the right to vote, birth of the "soldier-citizen" |
| 1849 | After a brief interruption, military personnel regain the right to vote under the Second Republic |
| July 27, 1872 | Cissey Law: removal of voting rights from military personnel, birth of the "Great Silent One" |
| 1889, 1905, 1928 | Successive laws confirming the exclusion of military personnel from universal suffrage |
| August 17, 1945 | Ordinance restoring the voting rights of career military personnel, end of the "Great Silent One" |
| July 13, 1972 | General status of military personnel: right to run for elective public office |
| Today | Military personnel vote freely but remain subject to a strict political duty of discretion |
Sources: Wikipedia — Voting rights in France | Ordinance of August 17, 1945 | Defense Code.
1945: The return of the right to vote, end of the "Great Silent One"
It was the ordinance of August 17, 1945, signed one year after women obtained the right to vote, that restored full civil rights to career military personnel. Thus, military personnel were among the last French citizens to obtain the right to vote, after 73 years of exclusion.
Ironically, it was the military who had liberated France in 1944-1945 who found themselves, immediately after the Liberation, deprived of the right to vote that they had just helped restore for all other French citizens.
The current situation: military personnel vote, but with restrictions
Since 1945, French military personnel have voted freely like any other citizen. However, their special status involves political restrictions that may explain the persistence of confusion.
The duty of discretion: imposed political neutrality
Article L4121-3 of the Defense Code is clear: active military personnel are prohibited from joining political groups or associations. This prohibition does not concern voting, which remains an absolute right, but political activism. A military member can vote for whoever they want, but cannot publicly campaign for a party or display their political opinions in uniform.
Can they run for elections?
Yes, since the law of July 13, 1972. Military personnel can run for any elected public office. If elected, they are placed on detached status for the duration of their mandate. In practice, this is rare because it involves losing military income, which the elected office does not always sufficiently compensate.
FAQ: The most frequently asked questions
Can a military member vote for the far right or far left?
Voting in France is secret and free, including for military personnel. A military member can vote for any party or candidate without their employer knowing. What they cannot do is join a party or publicly campaign for a political movement while on active duty. Voting remains a strictly private and protected act.
Can a military member on OPEX vote from abroad?
Yes. Military personnel on external operations (OPEX) can vote by proxy or, in some cases, electronically. Specific provisions are provided by the Electoral Code to allow military personnel deployed abroad to exercise their right to vote in French elections.
Why is it still said that military personnel do not vote?
This misconception persists for two reasons. First, the period from 1872 to 1945 lasted 73 years—long enough to deeply embed the image of the "Grande Muette" in collective memory. Second, current political restrictions (ban on activism, duty of reserve) are sometimes confused with a ban on voting, which is not the case.
Conclusion
Why can't military personnel vote? The answer is simple: they can vote, and have been able to since 1945. What is true, however, is that they were deprived of this right for 73 years from 1872 to 1945 under the Third Republic, which feared the political influence of the army. The Cissey law of 1872 and the nickname "Grande Muette" are witnesses to this long democratic hiatus. Today, military personnel vote freely but remain subject to a strict duty of political reserve that forbids any public activism.
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