Page 158 - Conducting Elections during COVID-19
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140 INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCES OF CONDUCTING ELECTIONS DURING COVID-19
4. A Success Story for Electoral Democracy:
The NEC devoted all its efforts to successfully manage the 21st National Assembly elections and prevent the
spread of COVID-19 during the period when pandemic was rapidly raging across the world. The NEC prepared and
implemented systematic and specific voting procedures to block and prevent the spread of COVID-19 through
close mutual cooperation with related agencies such as the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and
the Ministry of Interior and Safety. The NEC also referred to the guidelines on COVID-19 prevention measures.
In these elections, early voting turnout reached 26.69 per cent (around 11.74 million ballots cast), the highest-
ever early voting turnout since the introduction of the early voting system. The overall turnout (including the early
voting turnout) stood at 62.2 per cent (around 29.12 million ballots cast), the highest in 28 years since the 14th
National Assembly elections held in 1992.
Data and Statistics
Trends in Home Voting Use
• 364 confirmed COVID-19 patients registered as home voters
• 11,151 cast their ballot out of the 13,789 voters who registered (turnout 80.9%)
• Total number of 59,918 were in quarantine (as of April 15)
Trends in Turnout for Early Voting and Election Day