Keep a 1m Distance When Lining Up and Mark 1cm on the Ballot... Maintain 'Spacing' on Voting Day

Precautions When Marking Ballots with Vinyl Gloves
If You Have Symptoms Like Fever or Cough, Use Temporary Voting Booth
Self-Quarantined Voters Can Participate After 6 PM

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] Voting on the day of the April 15 general election will take place from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 14,330 polling stations nationwide. Voters can cast their ballots at designated polling stations within their residential areas. In the 21st general election, to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), voters must maintain a distance of at least 1 meter while queuing at polling stations and undergo a non-contact temperature check before voting. After passing the temperature check, voters must disinfect their hands with the provided sanitizer and wear disposable vinyl gloves on both hands. Then, they move to the identity verification desk, present their ID such as a resident registration card or driver's license, and slightly lower their mask to show their face for identity verification.

Ballots are distinguished by color: white for district candidates and light green for proportional representation candidates. In areas where by-elections for basic local government heads and basic/metropolitan council members are held simultaneously, additional ballots are distributed. After receiving each ballot, voters proceed to the voting booth, mark their choices, fold the ballots, and place them in the ballot box. For proportional representation voting, since the marking area has been reduced to 1 cm and gloves may cause slipping, careful attention is required when marking.

If the temperature check shows a fever of 37.5 degrees Celsius or higher, or if respiratory symptoms such as coughing are present, the procedure becomes slightly more complicated. First, voters are guided to a temporary voting booth separately installed near the polling station entrance, submit their ID to the election staff, and complete a self-identification form. The election staff then take the voter's ID and self-identification form to the identity verification desk, receive two ballots and a temporary voting booth envelope, and hand them to the voter. The voter marks the ballots in the temporary booth under the supervision of an observer.

Those under self-quarantine without suspected symptoms can participate in voting after 6 p.m. on election day. They are permitted to leave their residence from 5:20 p.m. and must return by 7 p.m. Additionally, they must notify the dedicated public official of their departure and arrival via the self-quarantine app or text message. When going to the polling station, wearing a mask is mandatory, and transportation must be by foot or private vehicle only. According to current election law, voters must arrive at the polling station before 6 p.m. to vote, so they may have to wait in an outdoor waiting area. The voting booths for self-quarantined voters are separately arranged from those for general voters, with strictly separated movement paths. Polling staff managing the booths for self-quarantined voters wear Level D protective equipment while on duty.

Starting from this general election, posting certification photos showing a thumbs-up or a V sign with fingers on social networking services (SNS) is allowed. However, voting certification photos must be taken outside the polling station. Photographing ballots inside the voting booth is illegal. If caught photographing ballots at the polling station or posting photos of ballots taken inside the voting booth on SNS, offenders face imprisonment of up to two years or a fine of up to 4 million won.

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