Residents of Trignac, a small commune in the Loire-Atlantique department near Saint-Nazaire, voted again on Sunday, September 27, to elect their mayor, six months after the 2026 municipal elections. Gilbert Lemestre, representing the Divers droite (a centrist-right political group), was declared the winner with 52.92% of the votes, replacing Claude Aufort, who had been re-elected in March with 51.76% of the votes. However, the participation rate in the September election was 45%, slightly lower than the 49.75% recorded in March. Following the election, Lemestre’s opponent, Claude Aufort, filed an appeal. The reason cited was the difference in the sizes of the ballots used for the two candidates. Aufort, the outgoing mayor and 75 years old, used A4-sized ballots, while Lemestre’s ballots were A5-sized. According to the administrative court of Saint-Nazaire, this difference "caused an expansion of the ballot envelopes likely to allow the identification of the voters' choice at the moment they placed their envelope in the ballot box," as stated in a judgment released on June 5, which Ici Loire-Atlantique was able to access. Gilbert Lemestre, who claims to be unaffiliated with any political party, received congratulations from Gauthier Bouchet, the departmental delegate of the National Rally in Loire-Atlantique. Bouchet remarked, "The commune must now embark on a new course. Good success to the new mayor and his future team." The appeal against Lemestre’s election remains under review, potentially affecting the legitimacy of his victory. The situation has sparked discussions about electoral fairness and the importance of standardized procedures in local elections. Officials are expected to provide further clarification on the legal implications of the court’s ruling and how it might influence future elections in the region.