[Reporter's View] Politicians argued over frames, while citizens demanded for suffrage

Jul 22, 2026, 09:28 am

At Olympic Park in Seoul, citizens and the political establishment were telling two vastly different stories about the exact same incident. The starting point was the ballot paper shortage in Jamsil 7-dong, Songpa-gu, during the June 3 local elections. The mere fact that voters were unable to cast their ballots makes this an issue that cannot be brushed off as a simple administrative oversight, as it directly undermines the right to vote—the very foundation of democracy.

Following the election, citizens gathered at Olympic Park to demand a re-election and a thorough investigation. Politicians do not need to agree with every single claim made at the rally. However, they must not turn a blind eye to the grievances raised by the victims and citizens who were denied their right to vote. Suffrage is not a partisan agenda; it is a fundamental right that sustains democracy itself.

The question asked by citizens was simple: How could voters be unable to vote in a democratic nation, and why has no corresponding accountability followed?

Politicians, on the other hand, prioritized cost and political arithmetic. Arguments arose such as: "How much time and money would a re-election cost?", "Is there any reason to hold another vote when the outcome is already decided?", and "Does a re-election demand make any sense given that Mayor Oh Se-hoon won the election?" Concerns were even raised that visiting the site might "make it appear as though one sympathizes with election fraud theories." Some lawmakers hesitated to attend or ultimately stayed away, citing these burdens. This view reduces the core of the issue to one of election outcomes and political self-interest. The starting point of this matter is not a debate over election fraud, but the undeniable fact that voters were unable to cast their ballots.

Within the People Power Party, leadership figures including Jang Dong-hyeok and a few lawmakers visited the site on multiple occasions. However, participation from politicians representing Seoul—where the ballot shortage actually occurred—fell far short of expectations. Among local lawmakers in Seoul, only about three visited the site. Most lawmakers representing the Songpa district, as well as those from neighboring constituencies, failed to show up. While lawmakers from other regions visited Seoul, the very representatives who should have been the first to listen to their constituents remained silent.

The bedrock of local politics lies in being the first to address problems faced by residents and translating them into institutional reform. When a controversy over voting rights erupted in their own backyard and citizens took to the streets multiple times, Olympic Park was, by definition, the very ground local politicians should have visited first. This does not mean endorsing every claim made by the rally participants. A politician visits a site not to blindly align with a specific narrative, but to see and hear firsthand what citizens are appealing for. Distancing oneself out of concern for the "election fraud frame" rather than focusing on the core issue of compromised suffrage may be a calculated political maneuver, but it can hardly be called responsible politics.

In a democracy, the greatest cost is not the money spent on a re-election, but the erosion of public trust in the electoral process itself. Citizens did not gather simply to overturn an outcome; they gathered to demand that no one ever be deprived of their vote again. Answering that call is now the duty of politics.

Lee Chae-ri

#Election #Politics