South Korean Protesters Push for Redo of Local Elections
Protesters in South Korea are keeping up pressure on the government to redo local elections last week that they see as botched. Some polling places ran out of ballots, meaning some voters couldn't cast their votes.
South Korea Election Protests Over Ballot Shortages
REPORTER:
Protesters haven’t left this vote-counting center in South Korea since a controversial election inflamed the country. 50 polling places across the country ran out of ballots during local elections last Wednesday, leaving some people unable to vote.
REPORTER:
Officials say the shortage was the result of a waste-cutting measure. They say so many people had voted early in recent elections that there were many unused ballots left over—so this time it only printed enough for about half of the electorate.
REPORTER:
But the protesters are not satisfied. And though their numbers have fallen off since a riot on Friday and a mass gathering of 10,000 people on Saturday, their anger at what they see as a botched vote hasn’t faded.
Protestor:
As this is a democratic country, the fact that some people were unable to vote, along with the inadequate response from the National Election Commission naturally left me, as a citizen, feeling angry.
REPORTER:
President Lee Jae Myung has apologized and called for an investigation. And the chair of the election commission has resigned. But some protesters see signs of something underhanded—and say there’s only one way to make amends.
Protestor:
It is a complete failure and a complete fraud. That is why I believe this was indeed an election fraud, and that a re-election must be held as a result.
REPORTER:
Some of the protesters even see a possible model in Taiwan—where all votes must be cast in person at a specific polling spot—and the counting is decidedly low-tech.
Protestor:
Interestingly enough, one reason election fraud is considered impossible in Taiwan is that they don't use electronic voting equipment. Instead, ballots are counted by hand, one by one—kind of like the class elections we had back in school. Because the votes are counted manually, election fraud can't really happen in Taiwan.
REPORTER:
These protesters hope their vigils will bring the redo they see as the only way to ensure all eligible voters have their voices heard.
