Record voter turnout

More people opt to vote early amid COVID-19 fears

About 11.7 million, or 26.7 percent, of 44 million eligible voters participated in two days of early voting for the April 15 general election on Friday and Saturday, a record-high turnout in early voting since the country adopted this system for nationwide polls in 2014.

It is widely believed that the highest turnout was possible because voters opted to cast ballots in advance to avoid crowds on Wednesday amid fears over the new coronavirus. Still, this is an impressive result that beat earlier expectations that the spread of the coronavirus would deter people from going to polling stations.

The turnout indeed reflects deep interest among voters in the general election, which is a de facto mid-term evaluation of the administration of President Moon Jae-in. Each of the rival parties has claimed the record voter turnout works in their favor, but it is early to say which party will win.

According to the National Election Commission, early voter turnout was 26.7 percent ― the highest in early voting. The previous highest early voting turnout was 26.06 percent for the May 2017 presidential election. The turnout for the 2016 general election was only 12.19 percent.

The election watchdog deserves praise for prioritizing voter safety in preparing for the advance voting to reduce the risk of infection at polling stations. Voters were advised to wear face masks when visiting polling stations. After having their temperature checked, voters disinfected their hands with sanitizer and put on plastic gloves. While waiting to vote, they were advised to stand at least one meter apart from others.

The smooth progress of the early voting would not have been possible without thorough preparations. In the face of this unprecedented health crisis, the NEC had introduced effective measures to help people vote in a safe environment. But the big day is coming, so there should be no complacency until the election is over.