Record Early Voting Turnout in South Korea Ahead of Parliamentary Elections
South Korea has witnessed a record-breaking early voting turnout ahead of its upcoming parliamentary elections scheduled for April 10. According to data released by the National Election Commission (NEC) on Saturday, 31.28 percent of eligible voters participated in early voting, marking the highest early voting turnout since the system was introduced in 2014.
Out of 44,280,011 eligible voters, 13,849,043 cast their ballots at 3,565 polling stations nationwide over the past two days. This figure surpasses the 26.69 percent early voting turnout recorded during the 2020 parliamentary elections, indicating a growing enthusiasm among the electorate.
The overseas voting turnout also reached a new peak, with 62.8 percent of domestic voters residing abroad casting their ballots during the six-day overseas voting period that concluded on Monday. The overseas voting system, implemented in 2012, has facilitated greater participation from South Koreans living overseas.
A recent survey conducted by Gallup Korea for the NEC revealed that 78.9 percent of respondents expressed their intention to vote “without fail” in the upcoming elections. This sentiment mirrors the 79.0 percent recorded in the last parliamentary elections four years ago, highlighting consistent voter engagement.
The survey, which polled 1,511 voters last Sunday and Monday, has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points at a 95-percent confidence level.
Reference(s):
ROK's early voting turnout for parliamentary polls hits record high
cgtn.com
