Officials Working to Improve Election Procedures to Prevent 'Overwork' in Superintendent Elections

Issues of Overwork Among Public Officials Arise Every Election
"Simple Tasks Should Be Handled by the Election Commission," Claim

Amid ongoing issues of 'overwork,' including a public official collapsing and dying after working on related tasks during recent local and general elections, public officials are working to improve election duties through consultations with the city election commission ahead of the October 16 Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education Superintendent by-election.

According to the National Public Officials Labor Union on the 4th, the Seoul Headquarters of the union and the Seoul Metropolitan Election Commission discussed improving conditions for the superintendent by-election office work during a meeting last month. As a result, they agreed to pay allowances for extended voting hours and have the election commission handle simple tasks such as posting election posters and transporting ballot boxes instead of public officials.

On the first day of early voting for the 22nd National Assembly election on the 5th, voters are casting their early votes at the early voting station in Sinchon-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

The issue of long hours of election work being concentrated on public officials has been pointed out multiple times in past elections. Earlier this year, during the general election, a local public official collapsed and died after working two days of early voting duties. Additionally, there are concerns about the burden on frontline public officials who are responsible for all simple tasks, such as visiting the election commission every time election materials arrive to load them onto vehicles for dispatch.

For this by-election, public officials' unions in each district negotiated individually with district election commissions to delegate ancillary tasks to the election commissions and promote improvements. A union representative explained, "The headquarters should negotiate uniformly at the central level to apply (election work improvements), but due to time constraints this time, negotiations were conducted at the branch level to find ways to improve."

Jongno-gu further negotiated improvements in the method of receiving election materials, allowing contracted workers at the district election commission to load materials onto vehicles. Previously, public officials had to visit the election commission office every time election materials arrived to load them themselves. Seocho-gu also negotiated with the election commission to allow contracted workers to transport election materials to designated locations when they arrive at the precincts. Some autonomous districts have also requested to operate polling stations staffed solely by election commission employees as a pilot program.

However, a request to designate a temporary school closure on the by-election day and recruit school staff as election workers was not accepted, given that it is an education superintendent election. The National Public Officials Labor Union stated in a position paper, "Despite this being an education superintendent by-election, not even school staff at various levels are appointed as election workers, and only district office public officials are forcibly mobilized, which is infuriating. According to the Public Official Election Act, election supervisors should be appointed from national or local government officials or school staff at various levels, but the election commission annually forces only district mayors to submit election supervisors," criticizing the practice.

In response, a Seoul Metropolitan Election Commission official said, "We have requested schools and public institutions in the Seoul area to secure staff to support as office personnel," adding, "Regarding the request to designate temporary school closures, that is beyond our authority and cannot be enforced."