Ballot shortage causes delays at Seoul polling stations during local elections

Voters in some polling stations in Seoul's Songpa District experienced delays and queues on March 3 due to a shortage of ballots during the 9th nationwide local elections. Election officials acknowledged the issue and are working to resolve it.

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The Songpa District Election Commission is transferring ballots to the affected polling stations. Voters who are waiting will be able to vote normally even after the polling hours end.

The National Election Commission stated that ballots were insufficient in certain Songpa District polling stations and that additional ballots were being transported. The commission assured voters waiting that they would be allowed to cast their ballots even if it was past the official closing time. They urged the public not to misunderstand the situation as a complete halt to voting due to the ballot shortage.

Officials attributed the ballot shortage to a higher voter turnout than anticipated for this election, exceeding the number of ballots prepared based on previous election turnout. A Songpa District official noted that concerns about potential shortages were raised around noon, but the corrective actions were delayed.

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The 9th local election voter turnout was higher than the previous election.

The situation led to voters waiting at polling stations, including one at Jamil Elementary School in Jamsil 2-dong, starting around 1 p.m. Reports indicate that voting was suspended at some locations by 4:30 p.m. due to the lack of ballots.

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We started talking about the possibility of a ballot shortage around noon today, but the measures seem to have been delayed.