Early Voting Rate Expected to Exceed 30%

Consolidation of Support Base... Record High Expected

[Asia Economy Reporters Lee Ji-eun, Oh Ju-yeon, Lee Ki-min] Early voting for the 20th presidential election began on the 4th at 3,552 polling stations nationwide. It is expected that the early voting rate will exceed 30%, reaching an all-time high. This is because there are forecasts that the number of COVID-19 confirmed cases will peak around the election day on the 9th, prompting both ruling and opposition parties to focus all their efforts on increasing early voter turnout. Both parties see the key to winning or losing the presidential election as the ‘voter turnout,’ as their respective support bases have fully mobilized.

On the 4th, when early voting for the 20th presidential election began, citizens lined up to vote at the polling station set up at Sogong-dong Community Center in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

According to the National Election Commission, as of 11 a.m. on the 4th, the early voting rate recorded 5.4%, the highest ever nationwide. With the ultra-close race between Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, and Yoon Seok-youl, the People Power Party presidential candidate, it is believed that who can bring more supporters to the polling stations will determine the election outcome, leading to appeals for voter participation.

Before the Central Election Countermeasures Committee meeting held at the Democratic Party headquarters in Yeouido in the morning, participants including co-chairs Yoon Ho-jung and Choi Kang-wook held a panel reading “Awake Early Voting, from 6 a.m. on the 4th to 6 p.m. on the 5th” to encourage early voting. Woo Sang-ho, the Democratic Party’s general election headquarters chief, said in a phone interview, “In the past, when the Democratic Party actively encouraged early voting, the early voting rate was around 26%. This time, since the People Power Party is also actively promoting early voting, I expect it to exceed 30%.”

The People Power Party leadership also raised a panel saying “Vote Early Now” during their morning election countermeasures meeting to strongly encourage early voting. In past elections, an increase in early voting was reflected as a rise in Democratic Party support, but this time, due to the COVID-19 variable, it is judged that Yoon’s core supporters, the elderly, may not come out for the crowded main voting day. Therefore, they see raising the early voting rate as important to increase overall voter turnout.

President Moon Jae-in and the First Lady visited the Samcheong-dong Community Center near the Blue House to vote in the morning. Just before early voting, President Moon posted a message on social media saying, “As sovereigns of a democratic republic, I hope all citizens participate in exercising their sacred voting rights.”

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