Court Dismisses Injunction Request to Block Early Voting Ballot Counting

No Jeong-hee, Chairperson of the National Election Commission, is apologizing on the 8th at the National Election Commission in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, regarding the confusion caused by early voting for 19 confirmed cases.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] The court rejected the injunction request to halt the counting of early votes cast by confirmed COVID-19 patients and quarantined individuals in the 20th presidential election amid controversy over poor management.

On the 8th, the Seoul Administrative Court's Administrative Division 7 (Chief Judge Jeong Sanggyu) dismissed the injunction request filed by Ok Eunho, the Saenuri Party presidential candidate, against the chairpersons of the Election Commissions in Eunpyeong-gu and Seongbuk-gu, Seoul. Dismissal means the case is closed without substantive judgment due to failure to meet procedural requirements.

This decision follows the Supreme Court precedent that prohibits lawsuits or requests seeking invalidation of any acts by election management bodies before the presidential election concludes.

The day before, candidate Ok filed a lawsuit requesting invalidation of early voting and applied for an injunction to stop the vote counting. Confusion occurred at the early voting site for confirmed and quarantined voters held on the 5th, where some voters were given ballots already marked for a specific candidate.

Meanwhile, Noh Jeonghee, Chairperson of the Central Election Commission, stated in a press release that "I deeply regret and apologize as the chairperson for the confusion and inconvenience caused by insufficient preparation in managing early voting."

She added, "The Election Commission has renewed its determination to ensure that all voters can exercise their voting rights without inconvenience on the 9th, and we will do our best until the voting and counting are completed. All polling stations were thoroughly disinfected to ensure voters can vote with confidence, and disinfectants, disposable gloves, and other protective supplies were provided."

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