From traffic circles to the ballot box: The Yellow Vests and partisan logics in a municipal campaign

This article analyzes the electoral engagement of a collective of Yellow Vest protesters in Normandy, France during the 2020 municipal elections, in alliance with a far-left party. In response to the disillusionment with street mobilizations, some Yellow Vests sought to engage politically despite their mistrust of political parties. The study highlights the social tensions between this party, focused on political abstraction, and Yellow Vests, more concerned with local issues and direct democracy. The article also emphasizes the use of skills drawn from the Yellow Vests’ professional and social backgrounds, while illustrating the difficulties of reconciling their aspiration to non-delegated representation with institutional logics.