The Election Commission Begins Early Voting for the General Election on the 5th-6th
Ballot Boxes Monitored by CCTV 24 Hours
2,000 Police Officers Deployed, Special Promotion for Illegal Activity Detection
The government has decided to significantly strengthen security measures in the 'Advance Voting for the 22nd National Assembly General Election' to dispel past allegations of election fraud. Police officers and observers will accompany the transportation of ballot boxes, and the stored advance voting boxes will be made publicly accessible for anyone to verify, ensuring a transparent election process.
According to the National Election Commission on the 5th, the advance voting for the April 10 general election, held from the 5th to the 6th, will take place nationwide at 3,565 polling stations from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Before the advance voting begins, election managers will inspect the inside and outside of the ballot boxes under the observation of monitors to check for any abnormalities. This is to detect any foreign substances or illegal ballots inside. If no issues are found, the boxes will be sealed with special seals, and both the election manager and the observer will sign.
After the advance voting ends, the ballot boxes within the district will have their ballot slots locked with locking pins, sealed with special seals signed by the election manager and observer, and the stands will be detached before being transported to the relevant election commission office. For ballot boxes outside the district, the number of ballots issued and exchanged for out-of-district voters will be confirmed, and the number of advance voters will be tallied in return envelopes before being sent to the relevant election commission via the post office. During the transportation and handover process, observers representing political parties and candidates, as well as police officers, will accompany the boxes.
Where will the votes go...(Seoul=Yonhap News) Reporter Kim In-cheol = On the morning of April 5th, the first day of early voting for the 22nd National Assembly election, citizens are casting their votes at Heukseok-dong Community Center in Dongjak-gu, Seoul. 2024.4.5
yatoya@yna.co.kr
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The transported in-district advance voting boxes will be stored in a secured location with controlled access and security systems such as CCTV until the close of voting on election day. Out-of-district advance voting boxes will be stored after party-appointed commissioners insert the return envelopes and attach special seals. The stored ballot boxes will be accessible for anyone to view 24-hour CCTV footage at the city and provincial election commissions.
The National Election Commission strengthened advance voting security following increased allegations of election fraud during the 2020 presidential election, notably the so-called 'basket voting' controversy. On election day, ballots cast by COVID-19 confirmed and quarantined voters were transported in baskets and shopping bags, sparking security concerns. The commission also plans to conduct regular inspections for illegal camera installations at advance voting stations. Finally, after the main voting closes on the 10th, the advance voting boxes will be inspected for any abnormalities under the observation of party-appointed commissioners and vote counting observers before being moved to the counting centers for tallying.
Meanwhile, the police will deploy 2,000 officers to closely manage the entire process of transporting out-of-district advance voting ballots. The National Police Agency plans to promote officers who achieve notable results in gathering intelligence, preventing, and cracking down on election-related offenses such as voting and counting fraud, interference with ballot box transportation, hacking, and other disruptions to election operations.
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