As discussions on reforming the National Election Commission (NEC) gain momentum following the ballot shortage during the June 3 local elections, the opposition has filed a bill to abolish the early voting system. The proposed amendment to the Public Official Election Act, jointly submitted by 25 opposition and independent lawmakers and led by Park Dae-chul of the People Power Party, centers on abolishing early voting and instead extending the main election day to two days. The bill also includes the reintroduction of the "absentee voting system," which was abolished in 2014. Under the proposal, voters unable to participate in the main election would be allowed to vote in advance for two days beginning four days before the election, after submitting a prior application. "Early voting has been skewed toward convenience alone, undermining fairness and reliability," Park said, explaining the purpose of the bill. "This is intended to minimize the room for negligence and fraud, and to secure voters' right to participate and the fairness of elections."
The early voting system was introduced from the sixth local elections in 2014 to raise voter turnout. While most democratic nations conduct early voting, it is rare for a country, as in Korea, to allow all voters to cast early ballots anywhere in the nation without separate registration or location restrictions. Thanks to its high convenience and accessibility, the early voting rate rose from 11.49% at the time of its introduction to 23.51% this year. Yet it is also true that repeated procedural errors and poor voting management have caused significant controversy. In that regard, it is a natural result that demands for reform of the NEC's organization and operations, as well as the overall election management system, are pouring in following the June 3 local elections, which exposed the commission's comprehensive failures.
However, if the NEC's management failures are escalated into a "rigged election theory" or driven toward a one-sided push to abolish early voting, there is a risk of only fueling public confusion and distrust. With the people's right to participate damaged by an unprecedented ballot shortage, the most urgent task now is restoring public trust in elections. At a time when the opposition leader is already harming democratic order with an absurd demand for a "full re-election," the possibility cannot be ruled out that a rash push to abolish early voting could foster denial of and distrust in election results. The first priority is to thoroughly uncover the truth through a parliamentary investigation, carry out a major overhaul of the NEC, and soundly rebuild the collapsed election management and oversight system. Electoral system reform must be carried out carefully, through sufficient public debate and social consensus.
