"Recording the place where suffrage stopped."
This is the phrase on the first screen of the website "Record of a vote (hanpyo.kr)," which gathers the voices of students condemning the shortage of ballot papers that occurred during the 9th nationwide local elections held simultaneously (the June 3 local elections). Here, you can see at a glance 392 wall posters and declarations on the current situation from 212 universities nationwide. Recently, high school wall posters and declarations on the current situation have also been added.
The person who created "Record of a vote" was neither a civic group activist nor a political insider. It was a 28-year-old office worker in their third year on the job, a person surnamed Lee. On the evening of the 4th, the day after the June 3 local elections, Lee said they learned through social media (SNS) that statements criticizing the shortage of ballot papers were being posted one after another on college campuses.
Lee said, "I thought these voices should not scatter and disappear." That night, Lee started working right away. The website was created and made public in four hours, and throughout the weekend Lee cut back on sleep to improve the tip-off and search functions. By searching for a school name, users can also see when a statement came out and what it said.
The response spread quickly. In just about a week after it went live, about 40,000 people visited "Record of a vote." Lee also personally categorized the demands contained in the collected statements. The most frequent demand in the 392 statements was for measures to prevent a recurrence. Related content was included in 251 cases, or 64% of the total. Next were condemnations of the National Election Commission and authorities at 49% (191 cases), and fact-finding at 38% (150 cases). Demands for a re-election or re-vote stood at around 6%.
Lee said the reason for creating the website was "the feeling that I had to do something." However, Lee emphasized that this incident should not be consumed solely as a matter advantageous or disadvantageous to a particular camp or as fodder for political strife. That is why the website was designed in achromatic colors such as white and black.
Lee said, "This incident is a matter of basic rights and common sense," adding, "It is not something that benefits or harms a particular camp; I hope we can focus our efforts on how to correct election management so that voters can properly cast a vote."
We met Lee on the 11th. Lee said they did not want their name or face to be made public. The following is a Q&A.
─What prompted you to create "Record of a vote"?
"On the day after the June 3 local elections, I kept seeing statements by college students on SNS. I thought it would be good to have an archiving site that collects them. These days, the speed of information consumption is so fast that things evaporate easily. I felt we shouldn't wait for someone else to make it and should do it ourselves. I started making it that very night and made it public in four hours, by around 1 a.m. After that, I made improvements whenever I could."
─It must not have been easy with work the next day.
"First of all, I was angry. It makes no sense that you can't vote because there aren't enough ballot papers. No matter how much I tried to understand it, it was beyond common sense. Isn't the election commission an organization that exists to protect democracy? The suffrage most essential to that democracy was poorly managed. I felt I had to do something. So I cut back on sleep through the weekend and built it."
─Have you always been very interested in politics?
"I wasn't particularly interested in politics. I don't have a specific party I support. In my life, I went to a rally once, dragged along by a friend. If anything, seeing politicians attacking each other increased my fatigue, so I've kept my distance. I'm also rather introverted. But this time, regardless of political leaning, it felt wrong. I thought a situation where you want to vote but can't should never happen to anyone."
─Are you getting many tips about wall posters and declarations on the current situation?
"In the five days after launching 'Record of a vote,' I received about 150 statement submissions. I have currently organized 392. I have also received tips that some high schools, not just universities, posted wall posters criticizing the shortage of ballot papers.
Sometimes people say wall posters have disappeared from campuses and that the younger generation is indifferent to politics, but there are 392 statements collected this time alone. It's hard to say they are indifferent. I think the way opinions are expressed has changed, but young people's sensitivity to political and social issues has not disappeared."
─You also made the site menu available in foreign languages.
"After creating 'Record of a vote,' I checked the traffic to see who was visiting, and it showed access from the United States, Taiwan and Hong Kong, among others. I thought translating the statements themselves could distort their meaning. So I translated only the site menus and the analysis into English, Chinese and Japanese. I hoped it would spread more widely."
─How do you define this shortage of ballot papers?
"I don't think it's something that should end as an administrative mistake or sloppy administration. In how many democracies around the world do problems arise because ballot papers aren't properly managed? Not only the officials at the National Election Commission but also the public need to fully grasp the seriousness of this issue. A small distrust can eventually widen into a crack that splits stone."
─Voices claiming election fraud have grown louder.
"It is natural in a liberal democratic system for various slogans or interpretations to emerge. However, I strongly hope this issue will not be consumed only as a tool of political strife.
If you analyze the statements collected on 'Record of a vote,' the demands college students make most are measures to prevent a recurrence, reform of the National Election Commission, and fact-finding. In fact, demands for a re-election or re-vote are at about 6%. The crux is not 'who won' but 'why voters' single votes were not properly guaranteed.'"
─Is there a reason you designed the website mainly in white and black?
"I didn't want this incident to appear in the color of a particular camp. So I deliberately used achromatic colors. This issue is not about benefiting or harming one side, but about whether we can exercise a vote as voters. I think it's a matter of basic rights and common sense."
─What do you hope for going forward?
"I believe one of the big problems in Korea today is interpreting even matters of common sense by dividing them by camp or generation. In many cases, issues are consumed first by 'which side are you on' rather than whether it's right or wrong. I'm worried that these college students' statements will be consumed politically.
Rather than drawing lines between sides, I hope we will put more effort into creating discourse for each individual's life going forward. And I think this is precisely the time for each of us to do what we should as citizens. I only hope people will speak up and also listen a lot."