Yeonggwang County Governor By-election, Early Voting Heat 'Intense' Amid Tight Race

As of 3 PM on the 11th, Voter Turnout at 19.42%
Highest Ever... Evidence of an Expanded Election Scale

As the October 16 by-election for Yeonggwang County Governor heats up into a neck-and-neck race, voters are continuing to visit polling stations on the first day of early voting, October 11.

At the early voting site in Yeonggwang-eup on this day, voters have been lining up early, maintaining a long queue of about 30 to 50 people. The long line, which started during rush hour, continued through lunchtime and remained busy until 3 p.m. Around the polling station, campaign workers from the Democratic, Progressive, and Innovation parties are urging voters to cast their precious votes.

Early voting in the Yeonggwang area takes place over two days, October 11 and 12, at 11 locations across the towns and townships, where 45,248 voters will cast their valuable votes. Voting hours are from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

On the morning of the 11th, early voting for the 10·16 'Yeonggwang County Governor Re-election' is taking place at the Yeonggwang-gun Youth Culture Center in Jeollanam-do. The photo shows a long line of people waiting to vote (left). Inside the polling station, an active-duty soldier from the district is casting an absentee ballot.
[Photo by Kim Geon-wan yacht@]

According to the Central Election Commission’s statistics system, as of 3:20 p.m., 8,788 voters in Yeonggwang had completed voting, resulting in a turnout rate of 19.42%, the highest ever recorded.

This reflects a glimpse of the expanded scale of the Yeonggwang County Governor by-election. The early voting turnout on the first day of previous by-elections was 12.68% for the Changnyeong County Governor election in Gyeongnam in April 2023, and 8.48% for the Gangseo District Office election in Seoul in October of the same year. Also, the June 2008 Yeonggwang County Governor by-election did not have early voting, and the total turnout was 64.61%.

A local resident in their 60s, Mr. A, said, "During the campaign, I was tired of hearing only candidates slandering each other," and added, "I don’t know how many pledges or policies that will help county administration will be heard in the remaining period," criticizing the increasingly dirty election atmosphere.

Mr. B, living in Yeonggwang-eup, expressed, "It’s unfortunate that there is no trustworthy candidate who can clearly develop Yeonggwang," but added, "Anyway, the choice is up to the people of Yeonggwang County, so I voted on my way to work."

Mr. C, in his 50s and running a business, said, "Yeonggwang County is full of projects like wind power, solar power, and renewable energy," and added, "Although I’m not fully satisfied, I hope the county governor who will be responsible for permits and administration for the remaining year and a half will be clean and accountable."

Mr. D, in his 80s, who came to a hospital in town, said, "I voted for a candidate who will make Yeonggwang a safe place to live," emphasizing senior policies, "Rather than expecting a lot of welfare support in old age, it’s enough for us elderly to receive hospital treatment comfortably, which means leading Yeonggwang well."

Meanwhile, early voting for the October 16 by-election is being held at 476 locations nationwide, and eligible voters can vote anywhere in the country at early voting stations set up within the by-election areas. However, the main voting on the 16th can only be done at the designated polling stations in the respective areas.

Locations of early voting stations can be checked on the voting guide or the Central Election Commission website.