On June 3, the main voting day for the 9th nationwide local elections, several polling stations in Seoul faced a shortage of ballots. At the Jamsil 7-dong No. 2 polling station in Songpa District, a crowd gathered to protest the removal of ballot boxes after voting ended, leading to a chaotic situation.
According to the National Election Commission, ballot shortages were reported at a total of 14 polling stations across Seoul, including 12 in Songpa District, one in Gangnam District, and one in Gwangjin District. The commission arranged for additional ballots to be sent to the affected stations and extended voting hours for waiting voters, even after the official closing time.
The Jamsil 7-dong No. 2 polling station was one of the most affected, extending its voting hours from the original 6 PM to 10 PM for those holding waiting tickets due to the ballot shortage.
Earlier, the ruling People Power Party expressed outrage, stating, "While voters are waiting due to the shortage, the Election Commission is attempting to retrieve the ballot boxes from this location." Party officials visited the site to protest, and the polling station decided to extend voting hours for those who had queued before 6 PM but were unable to vote due to the lack of ballots.
As voting continued late into the evening, confusion escalated. Some election workers reportedly requested announcements in nearby apartment complexes to remind voters holding waiting tickets to return to the polling station. Some citizens protested that the votes cast at this polling station should be invalidated, while others insisted, "The removal of the ballot boxes must be stopped."
After voting concluded, tensions flared during the process of transporting the ballot boxes. Around 10:34 PM, a crowd gathered to prevent the removal of the ballot boxes from the Jamsil 7-dong No. 2 polling station. In response, the Election Commission requested police assistance.
The People Power Party has labeled the situation a threat to election integrity and is vocally opposing it. Jang Dong-hyuk, the party's chief election strategy committee member, stated, "This election in Seoul has been tainted," calling for an immediate halt to the counting of votes until the situation is clarified. The party is raising concerns about the ballot shortages, the process of additional ballot deliveries, and the continuation of voting after the deadline, suggesting the need for a recount or a new election.
Conversely, the Democratic Party acknowledges the Election Commission's mismanagement but rejects the People Power Party's calls for halting the counting and conducting a re-vote. Jo Seung-rae, the Democratic Party's head of the election strategy committee, criticized the Election Commission for the ballot shortage but stated, "The People Power Party's demands for stopping the counting and re-voting are not worth considering."
This incident highlights significant failures in the fundamental preparation of ballots by the Election Commission, making it difficult for them to evade responsibility. However, as calls to prevent the removal of ballot boxes and demands for a halt to the counting arise, the controversy has escalated beyond local confusion to questions about the reliability of the election results. How transparently the Election Commission discloses the scale of the ballot shortages, the process of additional deliveries, and the procedures for issuing waiting tickets and conducting voting after the deadline will likely be key issues in the ongoing debate.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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