Democratic Party "Pre-voting Period Should Be Extended by One Day Considering Self-Quarantine"

"Drive-Through Polling Stations Should Also Be Introduced"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] The Democratic Party of Korea stated on the 4th that the early voting period for the March 9 presidential election should be extended by one day in response to the rapid increase in COVID-19 cases.

Kang Hoon-sik, the chairman of the election campaign committee's strategic planning committee, said on Facebook that "Considering the current 7-day self-quarantine period for close contacts, early voting should be allowed at least one week before the election."

Kang said, "It would be ideal if early voting could start from March 2, one week before March 9, but even advancing the early voting period by one day would have a significant effect," adding, "The early voting scheduled for March 4-5 should be extended by at least one day to include March 3."

Kang stated, "We cannot allow Omicron to take away the people's fundamental right to vote," and expressed concern, saying, "I worry when I think that over a million people may not be able to go to polling stations on election day due to being confirmed positive or in self-quarantine."

Kang also said, "There are drive-through polling stations, and these should be actively introduced," adding, "The United States even held a presidential election using drive-through voting. Although it may incur significant administrative costs, it should be actively implemented to guarantee voting rights."

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