| [With EMBs] Interview with National Election Commission of the Republic of Korea | ||||
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| Last updated 2021-05-04 | ||||
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Election Under the Special COVID-19 Prevention Measures (National Election Commission of the Republic of Korea) The Republic of Korea had by-elections on 7 April. After legislative elections last year, this was the second election the National Election Commission (NEC) of the Republic of Korea managed since the pandemic started. The A-WEB Secretariat had a short interview with NEC on the ‘new approaches’ to the way elections were managed under challenging circumstances. ▶ Question: Which election(s) were held in 2021 in the Republic of Korea? ▶ Answer: By-elections for 21 public offices were held on 7 April 2021. In 21 electoral districts including three cities and six provinces, about 70 candidates were registered, and 21 were elected. 6,745,709 voted out of 12,161,624 eligible voters, and voter turnout rates of the elections was 55.5%. ▶Question: How did COVID-19 Change the election process and election management? ▶ Answer: To hold the election safely, NEC took preventive measures as follows: · Protective barriers, i.e. sneeze guards and transparent partitions, were installed. · Body temperatures were checked. · Polling booths and other equipment regularly sanitized. · Adequate ventilation was ensured. · Hand sanitizers were placed in prominent locations. · Face masks were required to enter polling/counting stations. Poll workers repeatedly sanitized and ventilated 722 early-voting and 3,459 election-day polling stations prior to the voting. The disinfected polling stations were shut down and closed until the early voting or election day. Every election worker at the polls wore masks along with medical gloves. Individuals in charge of temperature checks, temporary polling booths, or voter verification wore additional face shields. Voters were instructed to keep one-meter distance at all times, both in and out of polling stations. Voters with high temperature (above 37.5 ℃), or respiratory symptom(s) were guided to temporary polling booths. The temporary polling booths were also placed within Community Treatment Centers and medical institutions for COVID-19 treatment and/or quarantine facilities. As counting workers stay in counting stations for long periods of time during vote counting, disinfectant mats were placed at the entrance as an additional precaution. ▶Question: Do you have any upcoming election(s) or future election management changes you wish to share with A-WEB Member EMBs? ▶Answer: Currently, there is no election planned for the rest of the year 2021. However, next year, presidential elections and local elections are scheduled to be held on 9 March and 1 June 2022 respectively. The National Election Commission of the Republic of Korea holds Seoul International Forum on Elections (SIFE) every year. It serves as a platform for experts in election management and election practitioners to come together to explore ways to address challenges faced by EMBs and discuss how to enhance election management and administration. The A-WEB Secretariat appreciates the NEC of
the Republic of Korea for sharing how they managed the by-elections during the
pandemic. The Secretariat will continue to share experience and knowledge
between and among EMBs and election stakeholders.
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