Early Voting for 2-3 Days, Voting Possible Regardless of Address

On the 23rd, ahead of the Seoul mayoral by-election, an election commission official is conducting a mock vote at a special early voting station set up at the Seoul Youth Hostel in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Cheol-eung] The National Election Commission announced on the 1st that early voting for the April 7 by-elections and supplementary elections will be held over two days, April 2 and 3, at 722 early voting stations in the by-election regions.

Six special early voting stations within residential treatment centers for COVID-19 confirmed patients will operate separately on the 3rd. Voters can vote at any early voting station in the by-election regions without separate notification.

Locations of early voting stations can be checked on the National Election Commission website or portal sites (Naver, Daum). Voting hours are from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., and voters must bring a photo ID issued by a government or public institution, such as a resident registration card, passport, or driver's license.

Voters can vote at early voting stations set up in the by-election regions regardless of their registered address. If voting at an early voting station outside their registered district (gu, city, or county), voters must place the marked ballot into a return envelope before putting it into the ballot box. Those voting within their registered district only need to receive the ballot, mark it, and place it directly into the ballot box.

After voting closes each day, return envelopes containing ballots are handed over to the local post office under the supervision of candidate observers, while ballot boxes containing only ballots without return envelopes are transported to the local district election commission office.

The Election Commission will conduct disinfection at all early voting stations the day before early voting and after the close of voting on the first day to ensure voters can vote safely. Voters must wear masks, refrain from conversations inside voting stations, sanitize their hands, and maintain sufficient distance from other voters.

Meanwhile, the voting and counting process and scenes from the voting and counting sites will be broadcast live through Korea Election Broadcasting.

The National Election Commission stated that since the by-election day is a weekday and not a public holiday, voters who cannot vote on election day can participate during the early voting period.