[These Days] Do Self-Quarantined People Also Vote?

On the first day of early voting, the 10th, people are casting their early votes for the 21st National Assembly election.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jong-hwa] Although the momentum of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) is at its peak, the election will proceed. Early voting for the 21st National Assembly election has been underway since yesterday at 3,508 early voting stations nationwide.

This election was a historic event that the public had been waiting for even before the unexpected situation of COVID-19 spread occurred. The indescribable disappointment in politics instilled in the hearts of the people the conviction that "it can only be shown through the election."

When there were calls to "postpone the election" due to the spread of COVID-19, public opinion firmly insisted on "as scheduled" without any hesitation.

Other countries were different from us. The United Kingdom postponed local elections by one year, and Poland decided to conduct the presidential election by postal voting. Several other countries facing elections are reportedly experiencing disruptions in their election schedules due to COVID-19. Only South Korea is proceeding with the election as planned without wavering.

Moreover, people who are self-quarantined due to contact with confirmed COVID-19 cases or overseas entry are also scheduled to be allowed to vote. This is remarkable. While elections are being postponed worldwide, our country is allowing even those in self-quarantine to come to polling stations and cast their votes. This shows how much our citizens have been anticipating this election.

For self-quarantined individuals to vote, it is necessary to separate their movement paths and time slots from other voters and implement various infection prevention measures. Despite being more labor-intensive in many ways, the quarantine authorities are naturally preparing for this.

The Wall Street Journal reported on the 9th (local time) that people isolated from family and friends due to social distancing and mandatory quarantine to prevent the spread of COVID-19 may suffer from mental distress such as stress, anxiety, depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

In fact, mental health counseling calls are increasing worldwide. A nonprofit organization providing counseling services via text messages in the United States reported that usage increased by more than 40% over the past four weeks in the US, Canada, and the UK. Most counselors report concerns about infection, loneliness, and financial difficulties caused by the pandemic.

In this situation, South Korea is supporting even those in self-quarantine to come to polling stations and exercise their rights. Of course, many people worry that the number of confirmed cases might rise again as voters flock all at once after several days of high-intensity social distancing, during which confirmed cases dropped to around 50 per day.

On the 10th, when early voting for the 21st National Assembly election began, scenes from several early voting stations in Seoul. Amid the COVID-19 situation, measures such as maintaining distance between voters, temperature checks before entering the polling stations, hand sanitization, and wearing masks show a different atmosphere from usual election scenes.
[Photo by Kim Hyun-min and Kang Jin-hyung, Asia Economy]

Everyone knows that the number of infections should not increase due to the general election. In that regard, early voting is worth actively considering. The record-high turnout in early voting held yesterday is quite encouraging.

This election will determine the country's governance for the next four years. The emergence of satellite proportional representation parties by the two major parties, which is laughable, and the transparent party names have caused unavoidable disgust toward politics. At times like this, voting is essential.

Sometimes, I meet people who criticize election results without voting. Personally, I do not engage in conversations with people who criticize in this way without participating in voting. I believe they are not qualified to discuss national affairs.

Such people often reveal during conversations that they did not vote themselves. As someone who has never missed voting even once, I simply cannot understand them. Whether it is politics or national management, those qualified to criticize are the ones who have voted, aren't they?

Except for those who are unable to vote due to circumstances, everyone should participate in voting. Wearing masks and gloves may be somewhat uncomfortable, but shouldn't we vote to navigate the post-COVID-19 situation well?

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