Voting Before Work and After Early Soccer
Parents Show 'Interest' in Superintendent Election
A citizen is placing a ballot into the ballot box at the early voting station for the June 1 local elections set up at the Sinyong-dong Administrative Welfare Center in Buk-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City.
[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Yoon Jamin] “Mom said we must vote.”
On the morning of the 28th, Kim (7), holding her mother’s hand tightly in front of the Sinyong-dong Administrative Welfare Center in Buk-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City, spoke clearly.
On the last early voting day of the June 1st nationwide simultaneous local elections, when asked if she came to vote with Park (38), her mother, the daughter answered on her behalf.
Park smiled broadly at her daughter’s spontaneous words and said, “Elections are a festival to choose workers who will work for me, so I must cast my vote,” then entered the polling station.
Although the waiting line was not long at the early voting site at the Sinyong-dong Administrative Welfare Center that day, citizens kept coming to cast their early votes.
Election observers kept a sharp eye out to prevent any fraudulent voting, and election staff, though it must have been tiring, smiled as they guided citizens who came to vote.
Various citizens came to cast their votes: a citizen in a wheelchair due to leg difficulties, a middle-aged couple supporting elderly parents, a young couple carrying a child, and a man dressed in sportswear.
One man encouraged someone on the phone at the polling station entrance, saying, “Did you vote? What if something suddenly comes up on the actual voting day and you can’t make it?”
Jung (28), dressed in sportswear, said he stopped by on his way home after playing early morning soccer.
Jung said, “I was surprised by the number of ballots compared to the last presidential election,” and added, “I twisted my ankle while exercising, but I still came because I had to vote.”
Cho (41), dressed neatly in a suit, said, “I had urgent work today and was going to work, but I thought I’d be busier on the actual voting day, so I came to vote early,” explaining, “Things need to change now. I will choose based on a person’s character and their pledges.”
Young couples showed great interest in the superintendent of education.
Kim (39), who came holding her child’s hand tightly, said, “My son will finally start elementary school next year, so I carefully reviewed the pledges of the superintendent candidates for my child’s future,” adding, “Among the five candidates, two caught my eye, but I haven’t decided yet.”
Meanwhile, as of noon that day, the cumulative early voting rate was 12.22% in Gwangju and 23.60% in Jeonnam.
Out of 1,206,886 eligible voters in Gwangju, 147,510 had voted. This is the second lowest record after Daegu among the 17 metropolitan local governments nationwide.
The turnout rate is 12.22%, which is 3.1 percentage points lower than the 15.32% recorded in the 7th nationwide simultaneous local elections.
By region, in Dong-gu, 13,356 out of 90,255 voters (14.80%) had voted; in Seo-gu, 31,903 out of 246,841 (12.92%); in Nam-gu, 24,254 out of 180,158 (13.46%); in Buk-gu, 47,230 out of 363,222 voters (13%); and in Gwangsan-gu, 30,767 out of 326,410 (9.43%) had completed voting.
Jeonnam has the highest turnout rate among metropolitan local governments nationwide. Out of 1,580,098 eligible voters, 372,869 had cast early votes. This is 1.06 percentage points higher than the 22.54% in the 7th nationwide simultaneous local elections.
In particular, Goheung-gun currently shows an early voting rate of 40.83%, recording the highest turnout rate among basic local governments nationwide.
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