Election Commission Under Fire for Alleged Vote Count Manipulation

The National Election Commission (NEC) faces deepening public distrust following revelations that officials may have manipulated vote counts for the June 3rd local elections. A joint investigation team comprising prosecutors and police launched an on-site search and seizure operation at the NEC's offices in Songpa-gu, Seoul, on July 23rd.

The investigation centers on allegations that NEC officials in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province illegally altered electronic records to conceal mistakes made in reporting hourly voter turnout. The system for tracking hourly turnout relies on reports from polling station managers, which are then compiled by local NEC branches and finally submitted to the central NEC. Any discrepancies require official reporting and approval for correction.

Investigators suspect that NEC employees incorrectly entered voter numbers during the June 3rd elections and subsequently manipulated the data to hide these errors. For instance, if 100 voters were mistakenly recorded as 1,000, the excess numbers were allegedly dispersed among other polling stations to falsify the hourly turnout rates. Evidence, including internal messenger conversations and discrepancies in recorded turnout figures, is being examined. The NEC officials are being investigated for forging electronic records and obstructing official duties.

This latest controversy follows a series of election management failures. During the June 3rd elections, a shortage of ballots in several Seoul polling stations caused significant delays. Despite warnings from polling station managers, ballots were not delivered promptly. Furthermore, during the 20th presidential election in March 2022, the handling of absentee ballots for COVID-19 positive and quarantined voters led to the 'basket voting' controversy. The current allegations of falsifying hourly turnout data, which can influence voter perception, are expected to further damage public confidence in the NEC. President Lee Jae-myung has ordered a joint investigation by the prosecution and police, and a special prosecutor is anticipated to take over the case following an agreement between the ruling and opposition parties to process a special counsel bill.