Voting in the UK and French elections taught me a concerning lesson that Americans should heed when heading to the polls

The author (not pictured) writes that he’s concerned about a move toward extremes in today’s political landscape.

I was born and raised in England, but this June marked 10 years since I moved to Paris.

I came to France on a student exchange in 2012 and met my now partner. We moved to Paris together in 2014. When the British people voted to leave the European Union in 2016, I decided I wanted to live in France long-term.

I planned to apply for French citizenship as soon as I could. I didn’t know exactly how the Brexit vote would impact me at the time, but I wanted to secure my right to vote in French elections or perhaps move elsewhere in the EU later in life.

It took me another three years to meet the residency requirements for citizenship. In the meantime, I began paying closer attention to politics in France. As I wasn’t yet a citizen, I couldn’t vote in 2017’s presidential election, leaving me feeling powerless. But I was relieved about the result.

For much of its history, French politics has been dominated by two parties, representing the left and right. But in 2017, neither historic party made it to the second round. Emmanuel Macron ran with a centrist campaign, while Marine Le Pen, leader of the National Rally, campaigned on anti-immigration and nationalist ideals. Her brand of populism had succeeded in the previous year with Trump’s election — but failed in France, and Macron defeated her, becoming France’s President.

By the time the 2024 elections came around in France and the UK, I was a citizen of both countries and eager to exercise my vote. In the UK, I wanted to remove the unpopular governing party, the Conservatives, from office. In France, I wanted to keep Le Pen’s party out.

In recent years, I’ve watched moderate ideals lose out to reactionary politics again and again, from Trump to Brexit to the success of hard-right parties in Europe and elsewhere. Britain looked to be moving in the opposite direction with a projected victory for the center-left Labour Party, which made me feel optimistic, but France looked to be heading into reactionary territory.

Political disagreements are a normal part of any healthy democracy. But increasingly, these disagreements are about our fundamental values and even the nature of truth itself. With a big election still to come this year in the US, I’m concerned about this move toward the extremes.

Politics in France and the UK has been turbulent in recent years

My first national French elections as a voter were in 2022 when the National Rally continued its seemingly unstoppable rise — Le Pen came closer than ever to the French presidency.

Le Pen became leader of France’s right-wing populist “National Front” party in 2011 and renamed it “National Rally” in 2018. Despite the rebrand, the party continues to focus on drastically reducing migration. France has seen major social unrest in recent years, including protests against labor and pension reforms, rising fuel costs, and the cost of living. Le Pen has capitalized on a mistrust of mainstream politics, gaining popularity in rural areas where some of these protest movements have been popular.

Across the Channel, the political landscape was no less chaotic. The Brexit vote was a seismic shock, and a deal with the EU was only reached years later after Boris Johnson, whom Donald Trump rather unflatteringly labeled “Britain Trump,” came to power in 2019.

Johnson’s center-right Conservative party had been in power since 2010 and remained so until the July 2024 election. Revelations of lockdown-era parties in Johnson’s offices forced his resignation in 2022, and life for many Britons kept getting worse under his successors, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak.

As in many other countries, wages were failing to keep up with a sharp rise in the cost of living. Years of budget cuts meant public services were crumbling. Yet despite bold promises, I feel the government failed to address this and seemed more eager to stoke hatred against migrants and other minorities.

One of Rishi Sunak’s often repeated pledges, both while in office and campaigning for the 2024 election, was his mission to “stop the boats,” referencing the illegal immigrants arriving in Britain via small-craft vessels.

Back in France, Macron still held the presidency. He initially ran on a centrist platform in 2017, aiming to find common ground between the left and right blocs. However, during his seven years in office, he’s been accused of veering to the right, appointing ministers who deny police brutality toward migrants, and positioning himself against “wokism.”

On June 9, a historic European Parliament election took place, with Le Pen’s far-right National Rally netting a record 31.4% of French votes, more than twice as many as Macron’s centrist alliance. Claiming the country needed “clarification,” Macron called for a national parliamentary election on June 30 and July 7. Even his own allies didn’t understand.

In the lead-up to the UK election on July 4, opinion polls predicted a huge majority for the center-left Labour Party. In France, I feared the National Rally would capitalize on their European victory and take control of the Assembly. As an immigrant, I didn’t want to be ruled by a party that routinely demonizes migrants.

The elections have made me concerned about extremism and division in both countries

In the end, Labour did secure a historic majority in the UK, but only with a tiny increase in vote share. Meanwhile, Reform UK, a party led by Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage that campaigned on “freezing” immigration, reneging on net zero climate goals, and banning “transgender ideology” in schools, netted more than 14% of the vote. This made them the third-largest party in terms of vote share. I was concerned that so many people were willing to vote for such a reactionary party.

On top of this, one of Labour’s first challenges in power was to deal with widespread anti-immigration riots targeting people of color. The protests that spread across the UK this summer were brought about by online disinformation about a stabbing where three young girls were killed.

In France, the National Rally failed to get the majority many feared. A “republican front”, consisting of other parties joining together to counter the far-right threat, worked better than expected, making the National Rally the third-largest group in terms of seats. But they still wound up with a much bigger voice in parliament than before and were by far the largest party in terms of vote share.

I feel that France and the UK are dealing with many of the same problems: political polarization, the scapegoating of migrants, and an increasing focus on culture wars.

I’m worried history will repeat itself when the US elections come around

This summer’s events on both sides of the Channel have shown that as people grow disillusioned with the status quo, the extremes are becoming increasingly attractive.

The National Rally continues to progress. I fear this year’s vote has merely delayed their arrival in government, rather than preventing it. In the UK, this summer’s far-right riots show that even when progressives win at the ballot box, the extremes are never far away.

European eyes are now looking across the Atlantic.

Donald Trump has been embracing conspiracy theories and referencing an “invasion” of migrants “conquering” the USA in his 2024 campaign. His victory could have serious consequences for Americans, especially women and minorities.

In Europe, observers like me are worried about what his leadership would mean for foreign policy in today’s turbulent world. Trump’s victory would galvanize European politicians like Le Pen and Farage and their supporters. Populist politics may not have won their national elections, but the most powerful nation in the world and its leader are behind them, normalizing their rhetoric.

But if he loses, I’m still anxious about what will happen next, given the January 6 capitol riots in 2021.

Kamala Harris has reenergized the presidential race and given hope to those who oppose Trump. But even if she wins, the deep divisions in American society won’t go away — they haven’t in the UK or France.