Capital Region Public Sentiment Barometer
First Day of Early Voting for Gangseo District Mayor By-election
On the first day of early voting for the 'October 11 Seoul Gangseo District Mayor By-election,' the voter turnout rate was recorded at 1.78% as of the morning of the 6th. This is similar to the trend seen in the high turnout during the April 2021 Seoul mayoral by-election, indicating a strong enthusiasm for voting.
According to the National Election Commission, as of 10 a.m. on the day, out of 500,603 eligible voters in the Seoul Gangseo District mayoral early voting, 8,896 participated, resulting in a turnout rate of 1.78%. Among the 500,603 eligible voters, 8,896 cast their votes.
This turnout rate is lower compared to the local elections held on June 1 last year. The turnout rate at 10 a.m. on the first day of early voting during last year’s local elections was 2.31%. However, that election was a nationwide election, which generally records higher turnout rates. The current turnout rate is similar to that of the first day of early voting for the Seoul mayoral by-election held on April 7, 2021. At that time, the turnout rate in Gangseo District at 10 a.m. on the first day was 1.83%. The 2021 Seoul mayoral by-election had one of the highest early voting turnout rates among past by-elections, which suggests that the enthusiasm for voting in the Gangseo District mayoral election is strong.
Residents visiting the early voting site set up at Banghwa 1-dong Community Center in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, on the 6th, the early voting day for the Gangseo District Mayor by-election, are moving to cast their votes. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@
However, it is difficult to predict the overall turnout rate based solely on the early voting rate at 10 a.m. In the last local elections, the final early voting turnout rate in Gangseo District was 20.43%, whereas in the 2021 Seoul mayoral by-election, the final early voting turnout rate in Gangseo District was 21.45%. Although the turnout rate at 10 a.m. was lower in the 2021 Seoul mayoral by-election, more voters participated on the second day of early voting, resulting in a higher turnout rate than the local elections. Another difference is that in previous elections, voters could cast ballots outside Gangseo District (out-of-district voting), but in this election, voting is only allowed at 20 early voting stations within Gangseo District.
Voter turnout is considered a key factor that will determine the outcome of this election. Political circles predict that if the turnout rate exceeds 40%, it will be advantageous for the Democratic Party of Korea. This election is attracting significant political attention as it is the last election before next year’s general elections and offers insight into public sentiment in the Seoul metropolitan area.
Early voting is being conducted on the 6th and 7th at early voting stations within Gangseo District from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
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