Investigation into Election Commission's Awareness of Ballot Shortage

A joint investigation team formed to look into the ballot shortage during the June 3 local elections has begun its work. The team is focusing on determining when the Election Commission became aware of the potential ballot shortage, how it responded, and whether the reporting and decision-making processes were appropriate.

According to legal sources on June 17, the investigation team has completed its formation of 27 members and has started its work at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office. The prosecutors and police have finalized the setup of their network and data transfer, and are now accelerating the analysis of seized materials and interviews with witnesses.

The investigation team is analyzing materials obtained during searches of seven locations, including the Central Election Commission and the Seoul Election Commission, conducted on June 11. The seized documents reportedly include ballot printing plans, service reports, related meeting minutes, and budget execution materials. The team is examining how the number of ballots was determined and who made that decision.

A key focus of the investigation is whether the Election Commission recognized the risk of a ballot shortage in advance but failed to take appropriate action.

According to findings from the Truth Investigation Committee, the Songpa District Election Commission and the Seoul Election Commission reportedly identified the possibility of a ballot shortage on the morning of election day. However, a coordinated response with the Central Election Commission did not occur until after 5 p.m., and some polling places had already suspended voting around 4 p.m.

The investigation team is working to reconstruct the reporting system and response process from that day. They have begun interviewing poll workers at the second polling place in Jamsil 7-dong and are investigating the staff involved in the election operations, verifying the reporting routes and decision-making processes based on the materials and testimonies collected.

The team is particularly examining the reasons behind the reduced number of ballots printed. It is reported that the Election Commission adjusted the printing standard for ballots in this election from 60% of the number of registered voters to 50%. The investigation team plans to confirm the procedures followed for this decision and whether there were any issues with the supply of spare unnumbered ballots.

Legal experts highlight that the critical issues in this investigation are the 'prior awareness' and 'neglect' of the situation. To apply charges such as dereliction of duty, it must be established that officials recognized the risks and failed to take necessary actions beyond mere administrative errors. Consequently, the investigation team is focusing on the gap between the initial reporting time on election day and when subsequent actions were taken.

As the analysis of seized materials and staff investigations progress, the team is expected to move on to higher-level inquiries. Currently, No Tae-ak, the former chairman of the Central Election Commission, and Heo Cheol-hoon, the former secretary-general, are under a travel ban due to allegations of dereliction of duty. The investigation team is reviewing whether and when to summon them based on the results of the staff investigations.

The scope of the investigation is also expanding. The team is considering ways to secure some of the ballots stored at the Olympic Park counting center, which has been occupied by protesters. Additionally, they plan to investigate allegations of evidence destruction and dereliction of duty related to the disposal of ballot storage boxes at the second polling place in Jamsil 7-dong.