[Fact Check] Did Early Voting Rates Exceed Final Voting Rates in 'Sangdangsuu Jiyok'?

Rep. Yongho Lee Advocates Early Voting Improvements... Fact Check Shows Nationwide Higher Turnout on Election Day, While Jeonbuk Has Higher Early Voting Rate

[Asia Economy reporters Ryu Jeong-min and Jeon Jin-young] The 21st general election has ended, but the debate has not cooled down. A representative issue is the suspicion surrounding early voting. Claims emphasizing 'election fraud' are overflowing, especially on YouTube. Voters cannot help but be confused. When the 'flames of controversy' flare up, there is less room for rational judgment. This is why we must be cautious of 'conspiracy theories' and look at the matter with a rational eye.

On the 5th, independent lawmaker Lee Yong-ho made an interesting claim in a statement. "In a considerable number of regions, the early voting rate is even higher than the main voting rate." Lee proposed an improvement plan to reduce the current two-day early voting period to one day or to extend the main voting day from one day to two days, making this claim.

According to the National Election Commission, the early voting rate for this general election was the highest ever at 26.7%. The final voter turnout was tallied at 66.2%. Was the early voting rate really higher than the main voting rate (voter turnout on election day)? Lee claimed that in a considerable number of regions, the early voting rate was higher and pointed out that "the issue is reversed."

On the 15th, the ballot boxes arrived at the counting center set up at the multipurpose badminton gymnasium in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, where the 21st National Assembly elections were held. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

Analyzing the data published by the Election Commission raises doubts about Lee's claim. The literal meaning of 'considerable number' is quite a large number. For Lee's claim to be convincing, the number of people participating in early voting must be greater than those participating in the main voting in many regions.

Comparing the number of voters on election day and early voters (mail voting + in-person early voting) in 17 metropolitan local governments nationwide, including Seoul and Busan, the number of voters on election day was higher in '15 regions (88.2%)'. Except for Jeonnam and Jeonbuk, the number of early voters was smaller.

From a nationwide perspective, Lee's claim is factually incorrect. However, if we isolate and analyze only the Jeonbuk region, which includes Lee's constituency of Namwon·Imsil·Sunchang, the result changes. Comparing the detailed voter turnout data published by the National Election Commission for 15 regions in Jeonbuk, the number of early voters was higher than the number of election day voters in '13 regions (86.6%)', including Namwon·Imsil·Sunchang.

On the 15th, the 21st National Assembly election was held, and officials are conducting vote counting at the counting center set up in the multipurpose badminton gymnasium in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

In his statement, Lee only expressed 'a considerable number of regions' without specifying the scope. Regarding this, Lee told Asia Economy in a phone interview, "I don't know overall, but in our region, the (early voting rate) is much higher. In big cities, it might be somewhat lower."

Lee dismissed election manipulation theories as "claims not worth considering," but argued that the early voting system needs improvement. He claimed that early voting could be exposed to money politics, government influence, and mobilized elections.

However, the Election Commission drew a line against the view that early voting increases the risk of election fraud. An official from the Commission stated, "The high early voting rate is a result of voters' intentions," adding, "When to vote is determined by each voter's individual preference and intention."

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