The Election Commission Requests Legislative Supplementation for "Lowering the Voting Age to 18"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hye-min] The National Election Commission has requested the National Assembly to discuss legislative supplements regarding confusion in educational settings following the lowering of the voting age to 18 starting from this year's general election.

On the 12th, the National Election Commission issued a press release stating, "We sent official letters to the Speaker of the National Assembly and the leaders of negotiating political parties requesting discussions on amendments to the Public Official Election Act and legislative supplements," adding, "This is because, with the general election approaching and the election procedures in full swing, legislative gaps could cause voter confusion and hinder election management."

The National Election Commission is concerned about the politicization of schools and confusion in educational settings due to the lowered voting age. Accordingly, it requested discussions on whether to prohibit the distribution of business cards by preliminary candidates in elementary and middle schools, whether to ban speeches in elementary and middle schools, whether to prohibit holding policy report meetings in elementary and middle schools, and whether to include private school teachers under the provisions banning election campaigning using official positions.

Additionally, it urged the revision of provisions that lost their effect due to the Constitutional Court's decision of constitutional inconsistency.

The Constitutional Court had ruled that the provision in the Public Official Election Act setting the deposit for proportional representation candidates at 15 million won was excessively high. It also declared unconstitutional the rule that does not refund the deposit if a preliminary candidate fails the party nomination screening and cannot register as a candidate.

Furthermore, the Commission requested modifications and supplements to the permanent overseas voter registry system to guarantee voting rights for overseas voters and alleviate the inconvenience of registration applications. The Election Commission stated, "We request the prompt advancement of amendments to the Public Official Election Act."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.