Over 3,500 polling stations nationwide open Friday as the two-day early voting period for the June 3 election begins.
Any of the 44.64 million eligible voters, 151,000 of whom are foreign nationals, can cast their ballots in the local election from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Friday to Saturday, as long as they bring a valid ID to a polling station.
During the early voting period, eligible voters may visit any of the 3,571 polling stations, regardless of their registered address. On election day, which is also a temporary holiday, voters must go to their designated polling station based on their registered address.
Those who vote early at a polling station other than their designated location must place their ballots inside a special envelope for early voters, seal the envelope and put it in the ballot box.
This year’s local election will elect mayors, governors and educational superintendents, as well as councilors.
The number of ballot papers given to each voter will range from four to eight, depending on where the voter’s address is registered. Most voters will receive seven ballot papers, except for those based in Sejong, on Jeju Island or in one of the 14 constituencies where parliamentary by-elections are being held the same day.
For a ballot paper to count as a valid vote, a voter must use an authorized stamp to mark an empty box for the candidate of their choice.
The ballot papers will be given to voters in two separate sets, meaning voters must place one set of ballot papers into the ballot box before repeating the process with the other set.
If a candidate withdraws from this year’s election by Thursday, the ballot paper will indicate that the candidate has quit the race.
Some political leaders will cast their ballots during the early voting period.
On Friday, ruling Democratic Party of Korea chair Rep. Jung Chung-rae will visit a polling station in his constituency of Mapo-gu, Seoul. The party’s floor leader, Rep. Han Byung-do, will do the same in his constituency in Iksan, North Jeolla Province.
Some Democratic Party candidates running in the local election, including Seoul mayoral candidate Chong Won-o, Daegu mayoral candidate Kim Boo-kyum, Gyeonggi gubernatorial candidate Choo Mi-ae and South Chungcheong Province gubernatorial candidate Park Soo-hyun, are also scheduled to appear at polling stations Friday.
Independent candidates such as Kim Kwan-young, seeking to remain as North Jeolla Province governor, and former People Power Party chief Han Dong-hoon, who is running for the Buk-A Assembly seat in Busan, will also visit polling stations Friday.
Main opposition People Power Party chair Rep. Jang Dong-hyeok will not vote during the early voting period. Instead, the party’s whip, Rep. Song Eon-seog, will appear at a polling station later this week.
According to a Gallup Korea opinion poll released by the National Election Commission on Thursday, 39.3 percent of all respondents who expressed their intention to vote said they were planning to go to a polling station during the two-day early voting period.
consnow@heraldcorp.com
