"How does it make sense that we can't vote because there are no ballot papers?"
At around 4 p.m. on Tuesday, the day of the main voting for the 9th nationwide local elections, voters at Polling Station No. 6 in Jamsil 2-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul, were stunned to hear they would have to wait due to a ballot paper shortage. On the scene, some said, "We've been contacting the National Election Commission (NEC) since 2 p.m., but there's been no response." Some citizens protested, asking that "the fact that we came to the polling station but couldn't vote at least be separately recorded in the voter identification section," but were told only that officials were "waiting for guidance from the NEC."
Similar situations unfolded at more than 10 polling stations across Songpa-gu, including Jamsil 2-dong, Jamsil 7-dong, Garak 2-dong, Munjeong-dong, and Oryun-dong. Long lines of voters formed outside the polling stations waiting for ballot papers, and some citizens filmed the scene on their mobile phones in strong protest. Exhausted by the long wait, citizens vented their frustration, saying, "Aren't ballot papers prepared according to the number of voters? How could something like this happen?"
According to reporting by The Seoul Economic Daily, an unprecedented situation occurred on the day of the local elections, with ballot papers running out at no fewer than 10 polling stations across Seoul — including in Songpa-gu, Gangnam-gu, Gwangjin-gu and Dongjak-gu — temporarily halting or delaying voting. The NEC explained that the shortage was a temporary supply issue caused by a higher-than-expected turnout, but with voters forced to wait for long periods or even abandon voting altogether, the commission is unlikely to escape criticism over mismanagement. The incident has once again called election management credibility into question, following the so-called "basket ballot" controversy during early voting in the 2022 20th presidential election, when ballots cast by COVID-19-positive voters were transported in plastic baskets and paper boxes.
Dozens of voters waited for long periods at the scene, and some gave up voting altogether and turned away. One resident who visited a polling station in Cheongdam-dong was reportedly told there were no ballot papers, waited nearby, and returned to the polling station around 6 p.m., but was ultimately unable to vote because no waiting tickets were left. Police received 14 reports related to ballot paper shortages. According to the NEC, as of 6:20 p.m., ballot paper shortages had occurred at a total of 14 polling stations, including 12 in Songpa-gu, one in Gangnam-gu, and one in Gwangjin-gu in Seoul.
As the controversy spread, the NEC issued a press notice around 5 p.m. explaining, "The local election turnout was higher than the previous election, so the ballot papers prepared at some polling stations in Songpa-gu were insufficient." Ballot papers were then urgently transported to the affected polling stations, and the NEC arranged for waiting voters to cast their ballots even after the 6 p.m. closing time. However, as additional ballot papers were being distributed, footage of ballot papers being delivered in ziplock bags emerged, fueling the so-called "ziplock bag ballot" controversy across online communities and social network services (SNS).
Due to the extended voting hours, some voters ended up casting their ballots after exit poll results had been released — an unprecedented situation. Polling Station No. 2 in Jamsil 7-dong, set up at Woosung Apartment in Songpa-gu, extended its closing time from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. for voters who had received waiting tickets. As many citizens flocked to the polling station late in the evening, an intense standoff broke out. Some citizens at the scene reportedly clashed strongly, saying, "Voting through this polling station should be invalidated" and "The removal of the ballot box must be blocked." In particular, since additional voting took place after exit poll results had been released, controversy over the fairness of the election is seen as inevitable.
Similar situations occurred not only in Seoul but also in Incheon. At Polling Station No. 1 in Songdo 5-dong, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, voters were left waiting around 5 p.m. due to a ballot paper shortage. Additional ballot papers arrived about 30 minutes after the polling official notified the NEC of the situation, but some voters had to wait to cast their ballots. A polling station in Dongchun 1-dong, Yeonsu-gu, was also reportedly short on ballot papers. Rep. Cho Eun-hee, who heads the general election strategy headquarters of Seoul Mayor candidate Oh Se-hoon's election campaign committee, criticized the situation, saying, "Acts that infringe on voters' right to participate in elections can never be tolerated."
The NEC issued a public apology, saying the ballot paper shortage was due to higher-than-expected turnout. The turnout for this election did not reach the final 60.2% turnout of the 7th local elections in 2018. Critics point out that the NEC will find it difficult to escape responsibility for this mismanagement based on a simple rise in turnout alone.
