Candidates to Participate in Early Voting
Intensified Encouragement Begins with Weekend Campaigns
With only three days left until early voting for the 21st presidential election (May 29-30), candidates have launched an all-out effort to boost early voter turnout. Lee Jaemyung, the Democratic Party candidate; Kim Moonsu, the People Power Party candidate; and Lee Junseok, the Reform Party candidate, have all decided to participate in early voting and are currently reviewing the specific schedule and locations.
On May 26, Joo Hoeyoung, co-chair of the People Power Party's election committee, emphasized, "You must vote whenever you can during the three days, including the early voting period, to secure victory." Park Chandae, chief campaign manager of the Democratic Party, also urged, "Please remember, 'Candidate No. 1 Lee Jaemyung is short three votes,'" and called on supporters to participate in early voting. A Reform Party official stated, "We expect candidate Lee Junseok to participate in early voting as well," adding, "He is considering locations in the Seoul metropolitan area."
The candidates began encouraging early voting over the weekend. On May 25, during a campaign rally in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, Lee Jaemyung stated, "A ballot is stronger than a bullet," and expressed hope for a decisive victory through high early voter turnout. Starting that day, the Democratic Party's election committee planned to hang banners nationwide with slogans such as "End the rebellion with early voting" and "Vote early at the speed of light."
Kim, who has pledged to abolish the early voting system, also appealed for participation. He warned, "If you hesitate to vote early and end up missing the main voting day, it will be a significant loss," and assured, "The party will mobilize all its resources to thoroughly monitor and supervise early voting, so do not worry and please participate."
The reason all candidates are urging early voting is to secure as many votes from their supporters as possible. As each candidate intensifies their campaign and seeks to shake up approval ratings, they are aiming to draw their base to the early voting stations in maximum numbers.
The importance of early voting in elections continues to grow. In the 2022 20th presidential election, the early voting rate was 36.9%, accounting for nearly half of the final turnout of 77.1%. In last year’s 22nd general election, the early voting rate was 31.3%, approaching the main voting rate of 35.7%.
Early voting is considered a key variable in this presidential election as well. This is because early voting is held only on weekdays, and the main voting week includes Memorial Day, a national holiday, leading many voters to take advantage of the extended holiday. A political insider analyzed, "A high voter turnout reflects strong mobilization of both sides' supporters, so maximizing participation will be crucial."
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