▲ Former Gyeonggi Superintendent of Education Lim Tae-hee
Regarding the "vote-counting error" controversy that erupted during the June 3 local elections, former Gyeonggi Provincial Superintendent of Education Lim Tae-hee has initiated a national public consent petition calling for revisions to the Public Official Election Act, including the abolition of early voting.
During a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Hall on the 15th, former Superintendent Lim stated, "The June 3 local elections have already been evaluated as a 'flawed election' based solely on the problems that have come to light so far." He added, "Nevertheless, national and social confusion and conflict surrounding elections continue to persist, which is why we have decided to pursue a national consent petition to improve the electoral system and revise the Public Official Election Act."
Previously, during the vote-counting process for the Gyeonggi Provincial Superintendent of Education election on June 3, controversy arose after it was belatedly confirmed that the vote counts for candidates at two polling stations in Seongnam and Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, were swapped or that vote-counting results from entirely different polling stations were inputted incorrectly.
At the time, Lim, who was the incumbent superintendent, filed an election appeal and a request for disclosure of information with the Election Commission.
The main points of the national consent petition announced by former Superintendent Lim on this day include: ▲ abolishing early voting and extending main voting hours; ▲ conducting on-site vote counting by hand, and publicly posting vote-counting results on-site alongside comprehensive tally updates; ▲ improving the election preparation system, such as strengthening ballot paper management; ▲ restricting sitting judges from concurrently serving as election commission chairs; and ▲ improving the election appeal and election litigation systems.
A total of 102 people participated as co-proposers for this petition, including 11 former city and provincial governors, 6 city and provincial superintendents of education, 10 heads of basic local governments, 23 Gyeonggi Provincial Council members, and 52 figures from social and educational sectors.
Former Superintendent Lim plans to collect signatures from the co-proposers within this week and hold regional tour briefings with the goal of securing over 50,000 public signatures as soon as possible.
A National Assembly public consent petition becomes eligible for a "petition requirement review" once it receives 100 signatures, and if it gathers 50,000 signatures within 30 days of being posted, it is referred to the relevant standing committee of the National Assembly.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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