Immigrant voter turnout declines in local elections

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

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Mon, December 4, 2023 | 08:27

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Immigrant voter turnout declines in local elections

Posted : 2022-05-17 16:45

Updated : 2022-05-18 16:48

Residents in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, hold a campaign in front of a support center for foreign residents, May 15, encouraging immigrant voters to participate in the June 1 local elections. Newsis

Experts call for measures to encourage foreigners to vote

By Lee Hyo-jin

A record-high 120,000 foreign residents are expected to be eligible to vote in the upcoming June 1 local elections. As a result, the turnout of these voters has drawn the attention of both political parties and candidates.

The local elections are the only chance for non-Korean nationals to express their opinions on issues by voting, but previous turnouts show that such voters are becoming less enthusiastic about casting their ballots, according to government data.

Following the revision to the Public Official Election Act in August 2005, foreign nationals who have resided in Korea for three or more years after obtaining permanent residency were given the right to vote in local elections. As a result, Korea became the first country in Asia to grant voting rights to non-citizen residents.

Foreign nationals, however, are not allowed to vote in elections choosing the president or lawmakers.

While the size of the immigrant electorate has been growing rapidly, voter turnout has been steadily declining, National Election Commission data show.

The number of eligible immigrant voters stood at 6,726 in 2006, and increased steadily to 12,875 in 2010, 48,428 in 2014, and surged to 106,205 in 2018. But turnout among those voters fell from 35.2 percent in 2010 to 16.7 percent in 2014 and 13.5 percent in 2018.

A report by the National Human Rights Commission of Korea published in November 2018 showed that most of those voters did not even know they were eligible to vote, partially explaining why the turnouts have been low. Four out of every 10 foreign residents with permanent residency thought that they were ineligible to vote, while another 24 percent were not aware of their voting rights.

Experts counted various reasons for the falling voter turnout among immigrants, with one being a low sense of belonging to Korean society.

"Even foreigners who decide to settle in Korea permanently do not feel that they are respected as equal members of the society like Korean nationals," Yoon In-jin, head of the Korean International Migrant Studies Association, told The Korea Times. "Plus, negative public sentiment against foreigners' suffrage could be another reason they are becoming more hesitant to vote."

An anti-immigrant sentiment among some Koreans played a role in the low sense of belonging to Korean society felt by permanent residents of foreign nationality.

In May of last year, a public petition was posted on the presidential website demanding the government to strip foreign residents of voting rights. Amid escalating anti-China sentiment among Koreans, the move targeted Chinese nationals, who account for about 80 percent of eligible immigrant voters.

Yoon said hostility toward a certain nationality should not be linked with foreigners' voting rights.

"Permanent residents were selected based on their willingness to contribute to Korean society. Taking away their suffrage, which is currently guaranteed to a minimum level, does not seem appropriate in a democratic country," Yoon said.

The immigration expert said the foreign community, in cooperation with the government, should consider establishing an organization representing immigrant electorates, in order to encourage more people to vote.

Paul Carver, former head of the Seoul Global Center, an organization established to support foreign residents in the capital, said foreigners are becoming less interested in casting their ballots due to limited access to information about candidates and their pledges.

Foreign residents participate in a mock poll held at Chungbuk University in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, May 16, 2018, ahead of the nationwide local elections, which were held on June 3, 2018. Newsis

"It is hard to find information about campaign promises in various languages, making it difficult for voters to determine which candidates have favorable policies for foreign residents. Most candidates are not explicit about any policies that help foreign residents," he said.

Moreover, a poor representation of foreigners' voices in Korean politics could be another reason why they are not motivated to vote, according to Carver.

"I think that many foreign voters believe that their vote is not important in influencing Korean politics," he said, stressing that the anti-discrimination law, which foreign residents have long been calling to be established, has been stalled at the National Assembly for more than a decade.

He added, "Providing a brief summary identifying each party's policies and how they would affect their life in Korea could be a big motivation for immigrant voters."

lhj@koreatimes.co.kr