On top of the ballot shortage that occurred during the 9th nationwide local elections held simultaneously (the June 3 local elections), various mix-ups also surfaced in the voting process for people with disabilities and older adults.
According to materials submitted by the National Election Commission to the offices of People Power Party lawmakers Kim Ye-ji and Joo Jin-woo on the 19th, errors in braille voting aids and poor on-site responses were found at some polling stations nationwide during support for voters with disabilities and older adults.
The National Election Commission's voting management manual includes guidance for voters with disabilities and older adults, procedures for voting assistance, and instructions on how to use braille voting aids. However, because there is no separate procedure to check whether on-site poll workers completed training, proficiency varied by polling station.
At Polling Station No. 8 in Segok-dong, Gangnam District, Seoul, it was confirmed during the voting process of a visually impaired couple that a braille voting aid had been manufactured incorrectly. During this process, a voter, saying the assistance from a poll worker could not be trusted, entered the booth with an acquaintance to vote, and the vote was recognized as valid after confirmation by the election commission.
At Polling Station No. 4 in Suseo-dong, Gangnam District, a complaint was filed that the braille aid used by a visually impaired voter was labeled "Gangbuk District" instead of "Gangnam District."
In Sejong, guidance on the voting assistance system was provided to an accompanying person rather than the voter, and in Gyeonggi, there was a case in which a voter who came to an early voting station was given information about the home voting system.
Other cases confirmed included a braille printing error on the aid for the Seoul superintendent of education election, a braille printing error in Gangnam District constituency No. 4, misproduction of the aid for the Ulsan superintendent of education election, and typos in braille on the voting aid in Daejeon.
Lawmaker Kim Ye-ji said, "We need to redesign human and material infrastructure from scratch so that voters with disabilities can vote on equal terms with nondisabled voters."