Citizens gathered in front of the Seoul Metropolitan Election Commission in Jongno-gu, Seoul, protest and demand the suspension of vote counting and the nullification of the election due to a shortage of ballot papers. [Photo=Yonhap News]

The National Council of Student Council Presidents regards the shortage of ballot papers during the 9th National Simultaneous Local Elections as a dereliction of duty by a constitutional institution that infringed upon the people's right to participate in politics, and strongly condemns the National Election Commission.

The National Council of Student Council Presidents is a solidarity organization comprising student councils from over 100 universities nationwide. In the realm of student self-governance, where representation is granted through elections, we have protected the credibility of elections and democracy.

The vote we exercise as a matter of course today is not a right that was given from the beginning. It is a right built upon the sacrifices and courage of countless citizens, and the actions of young people who stood in the streets and squares to protect democracy.

The fact that there was a shortage of ballot papers for voters who visited polling stations cannot be justified for any reason. Elections are the foundation of a democratic republic. The people delegate power through voting, and the state has the responsibility to ensure that this will is not distorted or excluded. For a constitutional institution managing elections to fail to fully guarantee the people's vote is a grave neglect of duty and a challenge to popular sovereignty.

Such an act is an appropriation of the right to participate in politics that the people have painstakingly protected. The student representatives from universities across the country cannot remain silent in the name of student self-governance, which has protected democracy.

What the National Election Commission must reveal to the public is not simply the circumstances, but the reality of the responsibility that led to the instability of the people's right to participate in politics in the face of mismanagement by a constitutional institution.

This situation cannot be reduced to mere confusion at the local level. We strongly urge the National Election Commission to clearly acknowledge its responsibility for violating popular sovereignty, to hold accountable those responsible, and to immediately reform the entire election management system.

June 4, 2026

National Council of Student Council Presidents