Kim Miae Sponsors 8 Bills, Including Public Official Election Act, Completing 'Election Commission Reform' Package

Bills linked to the party-backed "Act to Protect Citizens' Voting Rights"
"Establish an election management system that takes responsibility for every vote"

Kim Miae, a senior deputy floor leader for policy of the People Power Party, sponsored eight amendment bills, including amendments to the Public Official Election Act, to reform the National Election Commission. The bills include legal provisions on managing elections at polling sites and disclosing records, supporting the previously introduced party-backed Act to Protect Citizens' Voting Rights.

People Power Party lawmaker Kim Miae

On November 9, Kim sponsored partial amendments to eight laws related to the Act to Protect Citizens' Voting Rights (a bill to completely revise the National Election Commission Act), which the People Power Party had introduced as a party platform. The amendment bills cover the Public Official Election Act, the National Referendum Act, the Resident Referendum Act, the Act on the Recall of Elected Officials, the Political Parties Act, the Political Funds Act, the Act on Entrusted Elections for Public Organizations, etc., and the National Finance Act. Between 36 and 39 People Power Party lawmakers co-sponsored each bill.

Kim prepared the legislative package as chair of the subcommittee on organizational restructuring of the National Election Commission under the Special Committee on Investigating the Truth About the Infringement of Citizens' Voting Rights in the June 3 Election and Reforming Election Management. While the parent bill, a complete revision of the National Election Commission Act, provides for the introduction of full-time chairpersons at the National Election Commission and its regional commissions, the abolition of municipal and township election commissions, and the establishment of an audit committee with a majority of outside experts, the related bills aim to revise administrative authority and procedures so the organizational changes can be implemented at election and voting sites.

In particular, the amendment to the Public Official Election Act would require the entire process of managing election materials, including ballot papers, ballot boxes and vote-counting equipment, to be recorded and allow political parties and candidates to review the records. It would also require a person responsible to be designated at each stage of printing, storage, transport, handover, use and disposal of leftover materials, and require records to be kept of the date, location, quantity and participants. The bill also stipulates that records be retained for five years after election day, and records related to serious election management incidents for 10 years. If a political party or candidate requests access, the National Election Commission must comply and disclose the contents of key records within 30 days after election day.

The retention period for video footage would also be significantly extended. Under the current Public Official Election Act, CCTV footage from locations where early-voting and postal-voting ballot boxes are stored is kept for up to six months after election day. The amendment would extend the retention period to five years in principle, and up to 10 years for footage related to serious election management incidents. It would also require copies of video records to be provided at the request of the National Election Commission or a court reviewing an election petition if a petition or lawsuit is filed.

The bills clarify who is responsible for election management at polling sites in line with the abolition of municipal and township election commissions. Administrative duties previously handled by those commissions, including setting up polling stations, designating polling observers and storing ballot papers, would be reassigned to district, city and county election commissions and election management officers. Election management officers and early-voting management officers would carry out on-site duties, while district, city and county election commissions would direct and supervise them.

The amendments to the Act on Entrusted Elections for Public Organizations, etc., would overhaul entrusted elections so the National Election Commission can focus on managing public official elections. The amendment to the National Finance Act would strengthen the budgetary independence of the newly established independent audit committee. It would require the audit committee's budget to be accounted for separately from the National Election Commission's expenditure budget. If the government seeks to cut the committee's requested budget, it would have to hear the committee's views at a Cabinet meeting and submit them to the National Assembly.

Kim stressed, "Trust in elections is secured when the process of managing even a single ballot paper can be recorded and verified." She added, "Following the Act to Protect Citizens' Voting Rights, introduced as a People Power Party platform, we have completed the introduction of eight related bills supporting on-site election management, disclosure of records and an independent audit system," she said. "All nine bills should pass together to establish an election management system that takes responsibility for every vote cast by the public."

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