French voters in Paris and two provincial towns are tested electronic voting systems designed to prevent disputes such as those which marred US President George W. Bush's election victory.
After marking and depositing their traditional paper ballots at the town hall in the 18th arrondissement of Paris, voters were invited to make a second, unofficial, vote at a computer terminal in the same room.
The results of the parallel poll were to be published after the end of voting, but the organisers of the experiment were more interested in how the system performed than in the result itself.
Mr Steve Wang, international sales director for Election Systems and Software, said the system on test had been adopted in Florida after a recount had to be ordered to confirm Bush's 2000 poll victory.
Election officials activate the machine, which resembles a small portable television inside a suitcase which opens out to reveal a stand and a canopy to protect privacy, on presentation of a voter's election card.
Meanwhile, in the northeastern village of Vandoeuvre-les-Nancy and in the southwestern town of Merignac, two more demonstrations were being carried out; one by US firm Election.comand one by Europe's e-poll.
AFP