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| National Election Commission staffers conduct a final test on ballot counting machines ahead of the 20th presidential election, at a polling station set up at Seoul National University in Gwanak District, Tuesday. Yonhap |
By Jung Da-min
COVID-19 patients' votes have risen as a variable in what is expected to be one of the closest presidential races in Korea's history.
Concerns are rising over further problems anticipated in the election agency's handling of COVID-19 patients' ballots on Election Day Wednesday, as seen during the early voting period for those who tested positive for COVID-19 by March 4.
Controversies have risen over the National Election Commission's (NEC) poor handling of early voting for COVID-19 patients, as conducted at separate polling booths in each polling station on March 5, the second day of the two-day early voting.
Some COVID-19 patients who voted early saw their ballots being collected in paper bags, parcel boxes and even plastic trash bags by polling station workers, who were tasked with putting the ballots into official ballot boxes on behalf of the voters. But some said they could not confirm whether the ballots were handled correctly.
There were also some COVID-19 patients who had to wait too long to vote and went home without finishing the process, feeling too exhausted to do so.
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| An official of the National Election Commission monitors surveillance feeds showing the locations of its official ballot boxes for the early voting period conducted March 4 and 5, at the agency's headquarters in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, Monday. Joint Press Corps |
According to the NEC's statistics, a total of 990,630 voters cast their ballots in the final voting hours on Saturday, during the time designated for COVID-19 patients to enter polling stations. But the exact number of COVID-19 patients among the 990,630 has yet to be counted.
The number of COVID-19 patients who would have to vote between 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday is expected to surpass 1 million, about 2.2 percent of the total number of voters. They will be allowed to exit isolation starting at 5:50 p.m. to visit polling stations near their registered address in order to cast their ballots.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency announced Monday that it has adjusted the time when COVID-19 patients will be allowed outside under special permission from the public health authority, starting at 5:50 p.m. rather than 5:30 p.m. announced previously, at the request of the NEC, which said it is to help reduce the waiting time for COVID-19 patients.
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| National Election Commission Chairperson Noh Jeong-hee announces plans for the presidential election at the agency's headquarters in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, Tuesday. Yonhap |
However, Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon, floor leader of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), strongly condemned the NEC's decision, Tuesday, calling it administrative opportunism and unconstitutional.
"The NEC has already put serious restrictions on COVID-19 patients' exercising their suffrage with its poor handling of the early voting, but it is again planning to place even bigger restrictions by shortening the time allowed for them to go outside to cast their ballots," Kim said on Facebook, calling for the NEC to withdraw its decision and enact the original plan of allowing COVID-19 patients out at 5:30 p.m.
Presiding over a Cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae, Tuesday, President Moon Jae-in called for the election agency to handle the election process thoroughly, based on lessons learned from mistakes in the early voting period.
"I ask the NEC to do its best so that there is no neglect in the management of voting and counting until the moment the counting ends," Moon said.
A delay is expected in the voting and counting process, as the polling stations will close when all of the voters arriving before 7:30 p.m. submit their ballots.
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