"Did the Korean Election Commission Cause the Confusion"? When Did They Start Using Vote Counters and Sorters? [News Explanation]

Ballot Counting Devices Are Divided Into Counters and Sorters
Clear Effects on Cost Reduction and Time Savings... Hacking and Manipulation Impossible
Constitutional Court: "Use of Auxiliary Devices Such as Sorters and Counters Is Constitutional"
"Physical Ballots Are Sealed and Stored During the Term, Allowing for Verification"

Editor's Note'Seolcham' is a newly coined term meaning to refer to explanations for more detailed information. In [News Seolcham], we aim to pinpoint and explain in more detail the parts of the news that require fact-checking or further explanation.

As President Yoon Seok-yeol raises suspicions of election fraud by the National Election Commission to justify the legitimacy of the emergency martial law declaration on December 3, controversy is also growing as Jeon Han-gil, considered a 'famous history lecturer' in Korea, mentions election fraud suspicions. When were auxiliary machines such as ballot paper sorting machines first introduced in domestic elections?

The auxiliary devices used during vote counting in Korea include ▲ballot paper sorting machines and ▲ballot paper inspection counters. First, the ballot paper sorting machine recognizes the marking patterns and positions on the ballot paper to classify valid ballots by party/candidate and ballots requiring re-examination, which are then visually inspected by election officials. Afterward, the ballot inspection counter is used for a second confirmation. Ballots requiring re-examination (such as those with marks in two or more sections or unclear markings) also undergo manual inspection by election officials.

In the 22nd general election, a new ballot verification procedure was added. Election officials checked the ballots sorted by the sorting machine one by one. Then, the ballots were visually inspected using the ballot inspection counter, and the votes were tallied.

Ballot sorter used in 2002. National Election Commission Cyber Election History Museum

The first introduction of ballot auxiliary devices in Korea was during the 1995 1st simultaneous local elections. At that time, as four elections were held simultaneously for positions such as provincial governors, district mayors, provincial council members, and district council members, the volume of ballots increased, raising concerns about difficulties in determining winners. The National Election Commission (NEC) devised the 'ballot counting machine' for the first time. It was used to sort ballots and quickly count and organize them in units of 100 sheets.

The NEC developed the counting machine considering factors such as ▲compatibility with varying ballot paper lengths for each election ▲ease of transport and storage ▲continuous counting and counting in units of 100 sheets. Since it was modeled after counting machines used by banks for counting bills, financial institution employees experienced with using counting machines were appointed as election officials for the 1st local elections.

Subsequently, the ballot counting machine evolved into the 'ballot inspection counter.' Ballots sorted by ballot sorting machines or manual sorting were visually re-examined through the counting machine. Election officials and observers, organized in pairs per device to match the processing speed of the machines, visually re-inspected the ballots. The processing speed, which was about 300 sheets per minute in the past, was reduced to 150 sheets per minute starting from the 19th presidential election in 2017.

The ballot sorting machine, first introduced in the 2002 3rd local elections, clearly demonstrated cost reduction and vote counting time savings. At that time, the number of election officials was reduced by more than 10,000, saving about 1 billion KRW in budget. Also, during the 15th presidential election in 1997, vote counting took about 7 hours and 30 minutes, and the winner was confirmed only in the early morning of the next day. However, in the 16th presidential election in 2002, when the sorting machine was used, the winner was determined just 3 hours and 49 minutes after counting began. The vote counting cost for the 16th presidential election was 1.04 billion KRW, about one-fourth of the previous election's 3.93 billion KRW.

Many misunderstand the ballot sorting machine as an 'electronic vote counting machine,' but since it is completely disconnected from external communication, hacking or manipulation is fundamentally impossible. Before operation, the program is verified for tampering and undergoes security advisory committee review. Moreover, NEC staff, local government officials, and observers from political parties and candidates monitor and record the entire counting process. In the most recent 22nd general election, about 70,000 election officials and 17,000 observers participated across 254 counting centers nationwide.

President Yoon's side raised suspicions during the third hearing of the Constitutional Court impeachment trial, asking, 'Isn't it possible to intervene if external devices like USBs or wireless communication equipment are connected to the ballot sorting machine?' However, the NEC considers this impossible. On the 21st, the NEC explained in a briefing that only secure USBs with media control programs installed can be connected to the ballot sorting machine.

The vote counting is underway at the counting center set up at Shingwang Girls' High School in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on April 10 last year, when the 22nd National Assembly election voting ended. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

The use of auxiliary machines such as ballot sorting machines has long been subject to suspicions of fraudulent vote counting.

However, as early as April 2016, the Constitutional Court ruled that using machines like ballot sorting machines in vote counting does not violate the Constitution. Article 178, Paragraph 2 of the Public Official Election Act states, 'The National Election Commission may use machines or computerized systems necessary for sorting ballots by validity or candidate or for counting to assist vote counting work.'

The Constitutional Court judged, "Since the Public Official Election Act requires sealing and storing the physical ballots even after counting during the winner's term, the results can be sufficiently verified through the physical ballots after the election."

In fact, recounts are always possible. During the 2002 presidential election when Roh Moo-hyun of the Millennium Democratic Party was elected, the Grand National Party filed a lawsuit claiming election fraud through the ballot sorting machine. The Supreme Court recounted about 11.05 million ballots from 80 committees selected by the Grand National Party, but the recount resulted in a difference of only 920 votes, not changing the outcome. Ultimately, the Grand National Party had to pay about 600 million KRW in legal fees for raising vote counting fraud suspicions, and then-party leader Suh Chung-won resigned after publicly apologizing.

Additionally, the Constitutional Court considered that the Public Official Election Act includes measures to enhance fairness such as election observers and viewers, and that ballot sorting machines actually contribute to the speed of vote counting and reduction of budget and manpower.