Longest ballot ever: 41 parties compete in general election

Officials at an early voting center in Yeonje District, Busan, check election procedures, March 19, with one holding a mock ballot paper that includes space for proportional representation voting. According to the National Election Commission, 35 parties have registered for the proportional representation vote and the NEC officials will have to count the votes by hand as electronic counting machines can only process shorter ballot papers listing up to 24 parties. Yonhap

By Jung Da-min

Voters will be given the longest-ever ballot paper April 15 to elect members for the 21st National Assembly.

According to the National Election Commission (NEC), Monday, a total of 41 parties have registered 1,430 candidates to compete for the 300 seats through two ballots, one for the 253 single-member districts and the other for the remaining 47 proportional representation seats.

Among the 41 parties, 35 are participating in the proportional representation vote, 14 more parties than in the 20th general election in 2016. The number of candidates selected for proportional representation seats also doubled to 312 from 158 in the 2016 election.

The striking increase in the number of parties participating in proportional representation followed the introduction of a new electoral system aimed at giving more chances to minor parties to garner the seats. A party can secure a proportional representation seat if it gets at least 3 percent of the total votes cast.

Since there will be 35 parties listed on one ballot paper for proportional representation, it will be about 48.1 centimeters long.

The NEC said election staffers will have to count votes by hand as machines for electronic counting can only process papers up to 34.9 centimeters long, which can list up to 24 parties. This will be the first time for the NEC to count votes by hand in 18 years since the electronic counting system was introduced in 2002.

“The NEC is now preparing proper measures for a precise and efficient count,” Yun Jae-su, head of the NEC's public relations department, was quoted as saying by YTN.

Due to the manual work, the results of the proportional representation vote are expected to be released later than previous elections. In the 2016 general election, the result came around 2 a.m. the next day, about eight hours after voting closed. The time of the result will depend on how many ballot counters the NEC will hire.