A voter casts a ballot at a polling station in the southeastern Seoul ward of Gangnam on April 10, 2020. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Dec. 15 (Korea Bizwire) — Ahead of next year’s presidential and local elections, the government is reviewing the idea of expanding the so-called ‘at-home voting system’ for those quarantined at home or at quarantine facilities for COVID-19.
“We submitted a plan to expand coverage of the ‘at-home voting system’ to include those quarantined at home or other facilities for COVID-19.” said Kim Se-hwan, Secretary General of the National Election Commission (NEC) during his attendance at the special parliamentary committee on political reform of the National Assembly on Tuesday.
At-home voting, a type of absentee ballot system, refers to a process in which voters that would have difficulty visiting a polling stations due to physical disabilities can instead vote at from their residence.
Thus far, the NEC has opposed unlimited expansion of absentee ballots due to concerns about illegal behaviors such as proxy voting.
“In a pandemic crisis, concerns are growing about possible restrictions on the public’s right to vote. To address such concerns, we’re seriously looking into the feasibility of expanding the at-home voting system,” Kim said.
J. S. Shin (js_shin@koreabizwire.com)
