Advance voting system beset with problems

Introduced to boost voter turnout for the first time this year, the advance voting system had received rave reviews for its convenience. Yet, its credibility was tarnished Wednesday due mainly to the election watchdog’s mistakes in the voter identification process.

Experts said that the National Election Commission should tighten its oversight of the advance voting system and strengthen education for its staff to prevent voters casting their ballots twice and other irregularities in the early voting process.

Some of the voters who came out to polling stations on Wednesday returned home without casting their ballots as they were registered as having already voted during the May 30-31 advance voting period.

The NEC said that as there were many voters with the same names, its staff made mistakes when manually checking voters’ identities. Advance voters can vote at any designated polling stations across the country with their identification cards.

Some voters questioned the credibility of advance voting, expressing concerns that mistakes in the voting process could affect the outcome of the elections.

“It was very convenient as you could vote in advance at close polling stations anywhere in the country. Yet, I felt apprehensive that the voter identification process was fast and simpler than I thought it would be,” said one advance voter who declined to be named.

(The NEC pledged to strengthen the identification process and remove any loopholes in the advance voting method.

“When there is a long line at a polling station, voters usually express their unease and frustration, which leads some of our staff to make mistakes,” an NEC official told media. “We will improve our voting management procedures and education for our staff.”

The NEC also pointed out that those who exploit loopholes in the voting process to vote twice would face charges of fraudulent voting, which is punishable by up to five years in prison or a fine of up to 10 million won ($9,765).

By Song Sang-ho (sshluck@heraldcorp.com)