Opening of early voting ballot boxes. [Photo=Yonhap News]

As news broke that the working-level staff of the National Election Commission (NEC) had proposed reforms to political circles—centered on "abolishing early voting" and "counting ballots the day after the election"—the public has responded with a cold shoulder, dismissing the proposal as "a futile gesture."

On the 24th, the NEC labor union submitted a proposal to the Democratic Party's "Task Force on Institutional Reform for Protecting People's Right to Vote," which was drafted after gathering opinions from staff members nationwide. 

Abolishing early voting and extending main voting to two days... 

The core of the proposal submitted by the NEC union is to consolidate the current system—which distributes voting across "2 days of early voting and 1 day of main voting"—into a "2-day main voting" system.

The union argues that by replacing early voting with a longer main voting period, the complexity of election administration, which has been severely strained, can be drastically reduced while still guaranteeing voters' opportunities to participate.

Furthermore, the proposal includes the introduction of "counting ballots the day after the election." The intent is to reduce the administrative burden of all-night counting sessions on election day, except for by-elections where terms begin immediately upon confirmation of the winner.

Regarding concerns raised about the storage and security of ballot boxes, the union proposed alternatives: △sealing ballot boxes on-site immediately after voting ends, △moving and storing them publicly in the presence of observers recommended by each political party, and △installing CCTV in storage locations for 24-hour real-time monitoring.

An NEC official stated, "This is a result reflecting the diagnosis from related departments that because voting and counting operations are conducted simultaneously with limited personnel, on-site response capabilities are diminished when emergency situations arise."

NEC to focus only on 'supervision and verification'... Shifting practical tasks to the Ministry of the Interior and local governments?

In addition, the union proposed a plan to restrict the NEC’s role to that of an "umpire," while delegating practical election execution tasks, such as managing polling stations, to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and local governments.

They argued that under the current system, local governments manage polling station personnel and facilities, yet responsibility is concentrated solely on the NEC, creating inefficiencies due to a dual command structure.

A Democratic Party official commented on whether they would accept specific proposals like extending main voting or next-day counting, stating, "We are currently in the stage of gathering various voices from the field," and added, "The party is preparing its own final reform plan separately and will not be bound solely by the union's suggestions."

In response, a large portion of the public has expressed immediate opposition.

One netizen argued, "The proposal to store ballot boxes for a day and count them the next day, instead of counting them all night on election day, does not resolve the distrust regarding security during the storage period," adding, "The principle of hand-counting on the day of the election must be strictly maintained."

Another citizen raised their voice, saying, "This is just dumping administrative work onto the government; nothing changes fundamentally. Abolishing the NEC is the only answer."