Voter interest in education superintendent elections is markedly lower than for other races in local elections, data showed. More than half of voters said they were not interested in superintendent races, and many decided which candidate to support only just before voting. The channels through which voters obtained candidate information were also concentrated on media reports, conversations with acquaintances, and election bulletins, prompting calls for policy-focused elections.
According to data analyzed by Rep. Kim Moon-soo of the Democratic Party of Korea, a member of the National Assembly's Education Committee, of the National Election Commission's voter awareness surveys from the 2014, 2018, and 2022 nationwide simultaneous local elections, the share of respondents who said they were "interested" in superintendent elections stood at 43.1% as of 2022. That was lower than for metropolitan mayors (74.1%), heads of basic-level municipalities (71.3%), and local council members (53.1%), the data released Wednesday showed.
Interest in superintendent elections showed a declining trend with each successive election. Interest in superintendent races fell from 46.7% in 2014 to 43.6% in 2018 and 43.1% in 2022. Over the same period, interest in metropolitan mayor races rose from 63.2% to 72.3% and then 74.1%. Unlike for superintendent elections, interest in general local elections increased.
The timing of deciding which candidate to support was also relatively late. In the 2022 survey, 18.1% of respondents said they decided on a superintendent candidate on voting day. Those who decided one to three days before voting accounted for 22.5%, and those who decided one week before came to 27.6%. In superintendent elections, voters showed a clear tendency to delay their choice of candidate until the final stage of the campaign.
Media reports were cited most often as the most helpful channel for obtaining information when choosing a candidate. As of 2022, "reports and articles from media such as TV and newspapers" was highest at 22.4%, followed by candidates' promotional materials such as election bulletins, posters, and banners (22.3%), and conversations with family and acquaintances (22.1%). By contrast, the shares for TV debates and broadcast speeches (11.2%), candidates' internet and social media campaigning (4.8%), and the National Election Commission website (2.2%) were relatively low.
"The National Election Commission's voter awareness survey confirms the characteristics of superintendent elections, such as low interest and deciding on a candidate close to voting," Kim said. "By combining the results of this election's survey as well, this should be used as a reference in devising ways for these races to take root as policy-driven elections."
Meanwhile, in the first survey on this local election released by the National Election Commission last month, "policies and pledges" (33.2%) was cited most often as the most important factor when choosing a superintendent. It was followed by "integrity" at 28.5%.
