Less than during early voting... Police dispatched and main voting also 'noisy'

[Asia Economy Reporters Seongpil Jo, Byungseon Gong, Daehyun Kim, Gyumin Oh, Seoyul Hwang] On the 9th, the day of the 20th presidential election, voting proceeded in a mostly calm atmosphere at polling stations nationwide, unlike the early voting period. However, some polling stations experienced confusion. Due to errors by the National Election Commission, some voters were unable to cast their ballots, and incidents such as ballot damage led to police intervention.

On the 9th, the day of the 20th presidential election, voters at the 2nd polling station in Sajik-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, are casting two ballots, including one for the National Assembly by-election. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

Voter Unable to Vote Due to NEC Mistake, Leaves Polling Station

At the 2nd polling station in Sadang 4-dong, Dongjak-gu, Seoul, one voter was unable to cast a ballot due to a mistake by the National Election Commission (NEC). The voter, an ordinary citizen, arrived at the polling station before 6 p.m. but, following NEC instructions, waited in the line designated for confirmed and quarantined individuals and missed the voting time. After 6 p.m., when voting for confirmed and quarantined voters began, ordinary voters were not allowed to vote due to concerns about COVID-19 infection. The voter protested, saying, "How can this be acceptable?" but was not accommodated and ultimately had to leave.

At the 4th polling station in Chang 2-dong, Dobong-gu, Seoul, a confirmed COVID-19 voter clashed with NEC officials after forgetting their smartphone at home. Confirmed voters could only enter the polling station after verifying their positive PCR test result via a text message. However, this voter could not complete the verification process without their smartphone. The voter said, "I was embarrassed to be a confirmed case and wanted to finish voting quickly and leave, but I had to wait for 20 minutes because I forgot my smartphone. I was angry because they blocked my entry even though verification could have been done inside the polling station."

On the 9th, the day of the 20th presidential election, voters are lining up to vote at the 2nd polling station in Sajik-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

Poor Early Voting Management Continues into Main Election Day

Cases of poor election management that surfaced during early voting also continued in various places. A voter who visited the 2nd polling station in Jungang-dong, Osan-si, Gyeonggi Province, was told by an election official that a ballot had already been issued under their name and was unable to vote, leaving the polling station. The voter registry at the time already recorded that the voter had cast a ballot. The NEC initially stated that "two ballots should not be issued to one person," but reversed this decision 23 minutes later, allowing voting. However, the voter had already left the polling station.

Similar cases occurred in Saha-gu, Busan, and Yecheon-gun, Gyeongbuk, prompting the NEC to investigate whether these were simple mistakes or cases of identity theft. In Chuncheon-si, Gangwon Province, a voter who had already voted early received a ballot again, causing controversy. The voter claimed to have received a ballot on the main election day to verify poor election management, and the NEC filed a complaint. In Bucheon-si, Gyeonggi Province, an election official mistakenly issued two ballots to one voter. The ballots were attached back-to-back, making them appear as one, according to reports.

At the 8th polling station in Ansim 1-dong, Dong-gu, Daegu, it was revealed that some voters voted twice, causing a commotion. According to the NEC, two voters who had already voted early came to the polling station on election day, received ballots, and voted again. Once a voter has voted early, their name is marked in the voter registry, and they cannot vote again on election day. An NEC official said, "We are investigating how early voters voted again and plan to verify the process of ballot issuance with the responsible officials and take appropriate measures."

On the 9th, the day of the 20th presidential election, COVID-19 positive voters are casting their precious votes at Yeomni-dong 2nd polling station set up at Hanseo Elementary School in Mapo-gu, Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

"Polling Station Is Too Dark" Disturbance... Police Dispatched to Multiple Locations

Police were dispatched to several incidents. At the polling station in Sinjang 2-dong, Hanam-si, Gyeonggi Province, a voter who complained that the stamp was not properly applied tore up their ballot, prompting police intervention. Similar reports were received from Daejeon, Chungnam, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam. At a polling station in Seo-gu, Gwangju, an intoxicated voter shouted, "Why is the polling station on the second floor?" and was arrested. At a polling station in Nam-gu, Daegu, a man in his 60s disappeared without placing his marked ballot into the ballot box, leading to a police investigation.

Additionally, at a polling station in Jongno-gu, Seoul, a supporter of the People Power Party filmed a video claiming to monitor the election, but another voter obstructed by eating food in front of the camera, leading to a dispute and police intervention. The police mediated, and the two parties reconciled, ending the incident. In Gongneung-dong, Nowon-gu, Seoul, a voter caused a disturbance by shouting that the polling station was too dark, prompting police dispatch. The NEC resolved the situation by installing an additional light bulb.

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