National election commission’s alleged poor management of early voting stirs controversy

Mar 07, 2022, 09:30 am

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The CCTV center of the Gwacheon branch of the National Election Commission, which compiles video footages of polling stations for the 20th presidential election./ Source: Yonhap News

AsiaToday reporter Jeong Geum-min

The National Election Commission’s (NEC) alleged poor management of ballots emerged as a last-minute variable in the 20th presidential election. Some election site workers’ unprofessional handling of ballots cast by COVID-19 patients and those in quarantine during the early voting period brought protests by the voters as their ballots were collected in boxes or shopping bags instead of regular ballot boxes. This is because only one ballot box can be placed in each voting station under the Public Official Election Act, but it is pointed out that the NEC’s insufficient notice and clumsy countermeasures led to disputes regarding the fairness. Some complained over possible electoral fraud as some voters were given ballots that had already been filled in with votes for particular presidential candidate.

On the last day of the early voting, polling stations accommodated COVID-19 patients and those in quarantine for one hour starting at 5 p.m. Some voters put their ballots in paper bags, parcel boxes or even empty trash bags while some polling station workers transferred some ballots to regular ballot boxes provided elsewhere.

The NEC claimed that the voting method for COVID-19 voters was fully in compliance with laws and rules. The Article 151 of the Public Official Election Act makes it clear that each polling station is obliged to have one ballot box in order to prevent voter fraud. “We are sorry and regretful for having caused inconvenience during the early voting for COVID-19 patients yesterday,” the NEC said in a statement. “We guaranteed the attendance of election observers recommended by political parties in all processes, making sure there was no electoral foul play.”

However, many point out that even if it was in compliance with regulations, the controversy would have been minimized if the early voting period was separated for regular voters and those confirmed or quarantined, or if ballot boxes were standardized. On the election day, the voting period for general voters and COVID-19 patients is separated, but it was not during the early voting. As a result, some election observers in polling stations refused to observe due to concerns over COVID-19 infection.

The NEC’s lax attitude was also seen in the stenographic records of the National Assembly. According to the minutes of the National Assembly, Rep. Lee Myung-soo of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) said, “There must be a comprehensive measure for COVID-19-posiitive voters from voting to ballot counting.” In response, NEC chief Kim Se-hwan said, “We are prepared.”

There were some voters who were given ballots that had been filled in with votes for a specific presidential candidate. In response, Rep. Kim Woong of the PPP wrote on his Facebook, “The NEC stated that a polling station worker collected three ballots, and put only two of them into a ballot box and left one outside.”

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