Ballot Shortage Confirmed at 50 Polling Stations Nationwide... Reform New Party to File Petition for Partial Election Invalidation

It was confirmed on June 8 that the Central Election Commission reported to the Reform New Party that there was an actual shortage of ballots at 50 polling stations nationwide during the June 3 local elections, and that the scale of the issue could increase depending on the results of ongoing investigations.

Cheon Haram, Floor Leader of the Reform New Party, stated at a press conference at the National Assembly on this day, "This morning, I received a report from the Deputy Secretary-General of the Central Election Commission on the actual situation regarding the ballot shortage incident."

On the 4th, in front of the Central Election Commission in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, citizens are confronting the police in protest over the shortage of ballots for the 9th nationwide simultaneous local elections. Photo by Yonhap News.

According to the report from the commission, as of June 5, there were ballot shortages at 50 polling stations nationwide. Among these, 22 polling stations experienced actual disruptions to voting as voters were forced to wait. The commission explained that the number of affected polling stations could increase as further verification is conducted.

On election day, additional ballots were urgently dispatched to 67 polling stations nationwide due to concerns over shortages. Of these, 50 stations actually faced shortages, while the remaining 17 received additional ballots but were ultimately classified as not having experienced a shortage.

The commission also reported that the total number of ballots lacking at the 50 polling stations with shortages amounted to 4,726. According to data obtained by Assemblywoman Kim Minjeon from the People Power Party, all 17 polling stations in Seoul where there was a shortage of more than 100 ballots were located in Seoul. In particular, the Jamsil 4-dong No. 7 polling station in Songpa-gu experienced the largest shortfall nationwide, with 436 ballots missing.

There have been criticisms regarding the commission's recognition of the situation and its response process. The commission reported that even though the ballot shortage was reported at 11:40 a.m. on election day, there was no immediate communication of the situation at the level of the Central Election Commission.

Cheon Haram, floor leader of the Reform New Party, urged for the implementation of a 'selective re-election' while explaining the report received from Kang Dongwan, Deputy Secretary General of the Central Election Commission, regarding the shortage of ballots in the June 3 local elections at the National Assembly communication office on the 8th. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

The Central Election Commission is understood to have officially recognized the issue only after receiving a complaint call at 4:25 p.m. the same day concerning the Garak 2-dong No. 3 polling station in Songpa-gu.

Furthermore, it was found that the decision to extend the voting deadline to 10 p.m. at some polling stations in Seoul, where voting was disrupted, was made by the chairman of the Seoul Metropolitan Election Commission rather than through a resolution by the Central Election Commission. It was also reported that there was no subsequent ratification at the level of the Seoul or Central Election Commission. Cheon criticized, "This could raise issues regarding legal validity and possible abuse of authority."

The Reform New Party argued that a selective re-election should be held in certain constituencies where voters were forced to wait. To this end, the party plans to file a petition for partial invalidation of some Seoul district elections due to the ballot shortage incident. According to the Public Official Election Act, to claim the invalidation of a local election, a petition must first be submitted to the higher election commission, and if the result is not accepted, a lawsuit can be filed with the court.

Cheon explained that, according to the commission's report, the Public Official Election Act allows for petitions and lawsuits "in case of objections concerning the validity of an election," and therefore, the ballot shortage incident could also be subject to legal challenge.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.