4.7 By-election Voter Turnout 2.74%... Lower Than General and Local Elections

As of 11 AM, Seoul 2.86%, Busan 2.6%

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] As of 11 a.m. on the first day of early voting for the April 7 by-elections, the turnout rate was recorded at 2.74%. This is relatively lower compared to last year's general elections and local elections.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 2nd, the National Election Commission reported that as of 11 a.m., out of 12,161,624 eligible voters nationwide, 332,736 participated in early voting. This turnout rate is lower than the 3.72% recorded during last year's general election held amid the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the 2.92% turnout in the 7th local elections held in 2018. This by-election is being held in 21 locations, including two metropolitan mayoral positions (Seoul Mayor and Busan Mayor), two basic local government heads (Ulsan Nam-gu District Chief and Gyeongnam Uiryeong County Chief), eight metropolitan council seats (such as Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly and Chungbuk Provincial Assembly), and nine basic council seats (such as Jeonnam Boseong County Council and Gyeongnam Haman County Council).

Among these, the Seoul mayoral election, which is receiving the most attention, recorded a turnout of 2.86% with 240,925 voters participating. The Busan mayoral election saw 76,420 voters, resulting in a 2.6% turnout. During the general election, the turnout rates for these two areas were 3.55% and 3.29%, respectively.

The political sphere is closely monitoring the early voting turnout. Since voting takes place on weekdays, early voting turnout significantly influences the overall turnout. As confirmed in last year's general election, concerns about COVID-19 infection led to a strong tendency for dispersed voting. During that election, 26.69% of all eligible voters cast their ballots early over two days, setting a record high.

Politicians believe that a higher early voting turnout favors the ruling party. This is based on the common perception that progressive-leaning voters are more likely to participate in early voting. In fact, a public opinion poll conducted by Dong-A Ilbo and Research & Research on the 28th and 29th of last month involving 821 Seoul citizens (with a sampling error of ±3.4% at a 95% confidence level, using both landline and mobile phone interviews) showed that 51.8% of Democratic Party supporters and 26.3% of People Power Party supporters intended to vote early.

Early voting continues until the 3rd and is available from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Voters can check polling station locations through election brochures, the National Election Commission website, or portal sites.

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