As the ballot shortage crisis continues to spark controversy during the June 3 local elections, the National Election Commission (NEC) announced that it had sent additional ballots to 67 polling places nationwide due to shortages.
On June 5, Yoon Jae-soo, head of the Election Policy Division at the NEC, stated during a briefing at the Gwacheon headquarters, "We sent additional ballots to 67 out of 14,288 polling places across the country." The highest number of shortages occurred in Seoul, with 35 polling places affected, followed by Busan and Gyeongnam with eight, Daegu with seven, Incheon with six, and Ulsan with three. Notably, in Songpa-gu, 15 out of 146 polling places received emergency ballot supplies.
While 17 polling places did not use the additional ballots, the remaining 50 polling places confirmed that they were utilized for voting.
The NEC attributed the ballot shortage to an underestimation of the number of voters compared to the previous local elections, leading to a 50% reduction in ballot printing. The commission explained that due to an increase in early voting, there was a tendency for excess ballots to remain, prompting them to reduce the print quantity while considering the processes for retrieval, storage, and disposal. In fact, the NEC revised its guidelines before the elections, setting a minimum printing quantity of 60% for presidential and National Assembly elections and 50% for local elections, allowing adjustments based on local conditions.
In response to questions from reporters regarding the significant ballot shortages in Songpa-gu, Yoon stated, "While there was no overall shortage of ballots in Songpa-gu, we believe that some polling places experienced shortages due to discrepancies in distribution."
He added, "I apologize for our failure to establish specific procedures for transferring ballots in case of shortages, and we will comprehensively review the criteria and procedures for determining print quantities to prevent recurrence of this issue."
The NEC plans to form an investigation committee to further examine the circumstances surrounding the incident. To ensure impartiality, the committee will consist solely of external experts to identify the causes of the situation and develop measures to prevent its recurrence.
Meanwhile, on the same day, Noh Tae-ak, the chairman of the NEC, and Heo Cheol-hoon, the secretary-general, resigned in light of the ballot shortage crisis. Noh expressed his deep remorse during a public apology, stating, "I take full responsibility for the situation."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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