Handonghun Raises Early Voting Issues Again, Possibly Reflecting Hardline Conservative Concerns

Handonghun "Early Voting Supervisors Should Stamp Instead of Printing"
Election Commission "Current Printing and Stamping Method Has No Fairness Issues"

Han Dong-hoon, the Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, directly addressed the issue of the early voting manager's seal. He proposed changing the method from printing the manager's seal on early voting ballots to stamping the seal, in order to prevent controversies over election fraud. Why did Chairman Han openly raise this issue, which the Central Election Commission and others had previously been reluctant to discuss?

Han Dong-hoon: "There is a problem with printing the early voting manager's seal instead of stamping it"

At the Emergency Response Committee meeting held at the People Power Party headquarters that day, Chairman Han deliberately brought up the issue of the early voting manager's seal as the first topic of his first public remarks after the Lunar New Year holiday. He said, "I would like to start by saying a few words to the Election Commission regarding the voting system," and stated, "In early voting, the early voting manager must truly stamp the seal as prescribed by law." Chairman Han explained, "Currently, Article 158, Paragraph 3 of the Public Official Election Act stipulates that ‘the early voting manager shall stamp their seal in the early voting manager’s section on the ballot paper before handing it to the voter,’ but now, in the case of early voting, instead of stamping the seal, ballots with the seal printed on them are simply distributed." He added, "Although this differs from the legal provision, there is a precedent that ‘this is also permissible,’ and this is the basis for the current practice. However, many people think there is a problem with this," and introduced the public’s concerns. He further confirmed his shared awareness of the issue by saying, "I feel the same way."

Chairman Han mentioned that in the main voting, the ballot is handed out with the voting manager’s seal stamped, emphasizing, "Since this is how it is done at the main polling stations, early voting should be conducted the same way." He continued, "The Election Commission says they will not do this, citing the manpower and time required, but I understand that our government and local governments have already expressed willingness to provide sufficient personnel." He criticized, "Stubbornly refusing to do this in early voting, which should have the same effect as the main voting, could lead the public to doubt the Election Commission’s commitment to fair election management." Raising the criticism further, he said, "I do not think the Election Commission would act that way, but even the possibility of such suspicion must be eliminated," and stressed, "I believe the seal must be stamped. There is no reason not to do it."

Election Commission: "Considering the special nature of early voting, printing the seal does not compromise fairness"

On the other hand, the Election Commission explained that stamping the seal on early voting ballots is difficult due to the nature of early voting and expressed reluctance toward Chairman Han’s claim. An Election Commission official explained, "Unlike voting on election day, early voting cannot predict how many voters will participate, and since voting methods differ between in-district and out-of-district voters, clear distinctions between in-district and out-of-district voting areas and movement paths are necessary. Therefore, at least two or more early voting ballot issuing machines are operated for in-district and out-of-district ballots, making it physically difficult for one voting manager to stamp all ballots directly."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

For this reason, related regulations have been established. The official introduced, "The rules stipulate that the early voting manager’s seal should be printed (Article 84, Paragraph 3 of the Public Official Election Management Rules), and the Supreme Court and Constitutional Court have ruled that printing the seal instead of stamping it, as required by Article 158, Paragraph 3 of the Public Official Election Act, does not violate the law." This means that not only the Election Commission but also the courts do not consider printing the seal as violating the framework set by the Public Official Election Act. Furthermore, the official added, "On election day, pre-printed ballots are used, so the voting manager’s stamping confirms the ballot’s authenticity, but in early voting, ballots are printed and issued immediately in front of the voter. Therefore, whether the voting manager’s seal is printed or stamped makes little difference and does not affect the fairness of election management." Summarizing the Election Commission’s explanation, there are related rules, courts do not see it as illegal, and considering the special nature of early voting, printing the voting manager’s seal is unavoidable.

Why did Han Dong-hoon raise this issue?

This issue is closely related to controversies over election fraud. In particular, allegations of fraud related to early voting have frequently been raised by hardline conservative figures.

In fact, Chairman Han also addressed this issue during the Kwanhun Forum on the 7th when asked if he had any opinions regarding election fraud. He said, "There is a strong public desire for election fairness," and mentioned improvements related to voting and counting processes under the current government. He added, "I want to say one more thing: by law, the early voting manager is supposed to stamp the seal. Although the Supreme Court precedent and rules have allowed operation without stamping, the seal must be stamped in practice, and there is no reason not to do so." Summarizing his remarks at that time, Chairman Han’s focus on the early voting manager’s seal issue can be seen as reflecting the "strong public desire for fair elections."

However, there is also an interpretation that he was conscious of securing support from the hardline conservative base. Interestingly, a 'prediction' that Chairman Han would raise a similar issue was made last November. Lee Jun-seok, co-leader of the Reform New Party (then leader of the People Power Party), referred to a heated exchange between Rep. Lee So-young of the Democratic Party and then Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon at the National Assembly Budget and Accounts Committee during an MBC radio interview last November. He said, "When Rep. Lee asked questions related to election fraud, Minister Han kept avoiding the issue," and added, "Minister Han will eventually have to represent the hardline conservative position. But I hope that does not happen."

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