This autumn the NEC took part in a number of observations across various countries, mostly in Europe, sending between five and ten delegations per visit. As well as observing the relevant voting and counting processes, each delegation met with the relevant election management body to learn about how they manage each election within their jurisdiction and to build further cooperation between the NEC and other like-minded organizations.

NEC Staff visited the following major elections:

• Norwegian legislative elections (September 11)
• German legislative elections (September 24)
• Swiss local and national referendums (September 24)
• Austrian legislative elections (October 15)
• Canadian local elections (October 16)
• Virginia statewide elections (November 7)

These observations have allowed NEC staff to experience different election management structures and electoral systems to develop their expertise. All these elections had very different forms of elections including first-past-the-post, different types of proportional representation systems and referendums, allowing staff to gain a broader knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of each system.

The visit to Frankfurt, Germany had an additional focus, with staff from the NEC’s PR division joining the delegates and making a short documentary about the elections that will appear on our eTV channel in the near future. This is part of the NEC’s drive to support additional civic education on its channel to keep voters informed of how elections around the world work.

The delegates had a more extensive schedule that also included going to selected schools to watch ‘juniorwahl’ elections, where high school students choose a youth legislative body as part of a special civic education program. Students enthusiastically took part and understood the rights and responsibilities that come with coming of political age. This was an incredibly interesting experience that inspired our experts about different ways to teach young voters about the electoral system.

The visit to Switzerland also allowed our staff to take a look into the very unique political system in the country, which encourages a large amount of direct participation in the form of referendums on specific laws and policies. In these referendums, postal voting is extensively used and is by far the most popular way for people to vote, which is very different to the early voting system used here in Korea. This allowed our staff to compare the two and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of each method.

Overall, these observations play a crucial role in the constant development of the NEC and help to build further relations with other election management bodies to help improve democracy here in Korea and hopefully worldwide. 

With the NEC involved in an ever expanding global network of election management bodies and participating in various programs abroad, it is becoming increasingly important to ensure that the staff from our Commission are prepared when they welcome officials from around the world to Korea or participate in election observations or events abroad. In this vein, the Administration and International Affairs Division held our annual International Experts Workshop for around fifty staff last week at the Korean Civic Education for Democracy’s (KOCEI) brand new training center in Suwon.

The importance of this workshop for our division shouldn’t be overstated. The NEC can participate in up to 15 or 20 observation programs, meetings, conferences or forums abroad each year, and on every one of these trips at least one of our ‘international expert’ staff is part of the delegation to translate and guide for the other members of staff. Without their contribution our international activities cannot take place, and ensuring they are properly prepared is important for the smooth operation of each trip.   

This year’s workshop was held over two days on Thursday 28th and Friday 29^th of July during the rainy season here in Korea. Around 50 staff traveled from various levels of election commission to be with us at the fully renovated KOCEI complex. Any member of staff could apply and the final group was chosen based on their foreign language ability, particularly focused on English as it is the most common working language for the various events we participant in, previous experience in working abroad and attitude. We were delighted so many people this year wanted to participate and we hope to give everyone an opportunity to be part of our international events during their time at the NEC.

We held a number of sessions during the two-day workshop focused on informing the staff about international events, ensuring the staff feel prepared to fulfill their roles and developing their election-related English vocabulary. It all began with an introduction to all the international work the NEC has been involved in during the past year and the plans for the upcoming months. The first day also included presentations from six members of staff who had already been on observations or participated in events to help others understand the various issues and problems they may have to cope with.  The whole group was able to also ask questions to our division and our presenters regarding what they are required to do during international trips.

The second day had a diverse feel to it. The morning began with a quiz that was focused on using the correct English phrases for the election process, understand the roles of other international organizations better and gain a solid understanding of other countries’ election systems. The whole quiz was conducted in English and while everyone had fun competing against each other, it was a good opportunity for the staff to use English in an election-focused setting. 

The workshop was then rounded off with a lecture from a Professor from Gyeonggi University with extensive international experience discussing the importance of international cooperation and best practices. The final words were then left to the Director General of Planning and Coordination from the NEC, who awarded the winning quiz team their prize and thanked everyone for their participation.

Overall, this year’s edition was one of the most well-attended, successful and productive International Experts Workshop since it the NEC began holding such training. We hope all the staff enjoyed it and were able to feel part of a growing team of NEC staff with experience and knowledge about elections outside of Korea. 

Our division often gets requests to arrange meetings between election officials here at the NEC and partners from around the world who are in Korea for all sorts of reasons. Sometimes international organizations related to elections and democracy on fact-finding or training missions come to our office to meet senior officials, sometimes other Korean governmental organizations bring international visitors on their own related programs to hear about what we do or ask specific questions, and sometimes other election management bodies arrange to meet our senior officials to learn more about elections here and strengthen our partnerships.

In this case, the Ministry of the Interior here in Korea was hosting the 2017 Knowledge Sharing Workshop on Resident Registration in Korea with a delegation of experts from Jamaica in partnership with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). They are here to exchange ideas with the Ministry on computerized resident registration systems and the 15-strong delegation included members from eGov Jamaica, the Register General’s Department, the Office of the Prime Minister and, most relevant for the NEC, the Electoral Commission of Jamaica.

When we organize this kind of meeting at the NEC, we have a set structure that we tailor to meet the demands of our guests. We usually open with welcoming remarks and an introductory video before moving to the most important part, the Q&A session with a senior official who can answer their questions. For out Jamaican delegates, Director General of the Planning and Coordination Department Song Bong-seop was our main representative and focused on answering their questions, which were mainly about the creation of the voters list here in Korea and our relationship with the resident registration system. We always find these discussions very interesting and productive, and this case was no different, with the session lasting nearly 40 minutes. Our discussions then end with an exchange of gifts in appreciation of our cooperation and in hope of further ties in the future.

Once the session is over we also visit the Commissioners meeting room to explain about the structure of our Commission further before ending the visit in our election experience room. Here, we demonstrate some of the election ICT equipment, and we usually tailor our demonstrations to the delegation as best as possible. For the resident registration focused team we spent a lot of the time talking about the integrated voters’ list server and equipment used to identify voters at early voting polling stations, a vital part of the Korean election system which generated a lot of interest from the team.

Of course, not visit to the NEC would be complete without a final photo outside our office for our delegates to remember their visit by. Lucky for the Jamaican team the weather was glorious sunshine and despite the heat everyone was looking their best! Usually this kind of meeting lasts two hours or so and these visits are invaluable to the NEC as it allows us to continue to exchange ideas and values with other partner countries, helping to spread ideas of democracy and beautiful elections worldwide

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Thank you to the wonderful Jamaican delegation, who engaged in some really interesting discussion and were keen to exchange ideas during their visit, and to the Ministry of Interior in Korea for arranging the meeting. We look forward to closer ties with the Electoral Commission of Jamaica in the future and we wish everyone a safe return back to the other side of the world.

Author: Luke Butcher, Administration and International Affairs Division.  

Generally speaking, public opinion polls are used to find out what people are thinking about a certain topic or issue at that particular moment. In the field of elections, opinion polls have widely been adopted to ascertain people’s preference on candidates and political parties since universal suffrage was gradually secured around the world in the 19^th century. The first example of election polls seemed to have been undertaken during the campaign period for the 10^th US presidential election in 1824.

Election polls can reflect the political will and preference of voters and give opportunities to politicians and the government to better respond to the people’s demands. In this way, it can serve as a useful tool and a political forecaster before elections. However, intentionally biased polls can undermine the fairness and transparency of elections by affecting some people’s opinions or voting patterns. These conflicting elements lead to the issue of how to check and moderate such opinion polls during elections.

In Korea, election polls have previously been used in both positive and negative ways. Most basically, it is conducted to determine the level of support for candidates, parties or policies among voters, or which standards people will consider before they choose candidates. It helps candidates or parties prepare and plan relevant strategies for winning elections and how to govern. Secondly, they can be used as a pseudo election campaign method. In other words, candidates may take advantage of election polls for campaigning in illegal ways. They can unfairly manipulate the range of respondent groups, or manipulate questions to ensure favorable results, therefore distorting people’s intention in conjunction with polling agencies. Also, supporters of a certain candidate or political party can use polling as a way of raising people’s awareness of them.

Here are two opposing theories on the effects of election polls on voters. Firstly, a ‘Bandwagon Effect’ occurs when voters are encouraged to back the candidate who is ahead of others. Those who try to fabricate the results in a favorable way to them believe in this effect. On the contrary, there may also be an ‘Underdog Effect’ which is when voters are  attracted to a losing candidate out of sympathy. The former one is generally considered more persuasive. In addition, another theory regarding the effect of polling is the creation of complacency among voters. According to this theory, polling that shows a particular candidate or party with a large lead can cause some voters to consider voting a waste of time since they believe the result is a foregone conclusion, depressing turnout.

These three theories are very different in their conclusion, but it seems safe to say that the results of election polls have considerable effects on voters’ decisions. Currently, there is a saying that ‘election polls make the president,’ which shows the growing influence of polls on voters when choosing candidates. Also, election polls have already taken root as a way of electing candidates in intra-party competitions.

However, we should also consider that election polls are not always accurate. We can see two biggest failures in past US presidential elections. In 1948, Republican candidate Thomas Dewey was expected to win a landslide victory over Harry Truman by major polling companies such as Gallup and Roper, but the result was completely the opposite.  More recently polls confidently predicted that Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump would lose the elections in 2016. However, we listened to his inauguration speech in January this year.

Given those circumstances, the Election Survey Deliberation Commissions  were established under the Election Commissions in 2014 to secure the fairness and credibility of election polls. The National Election Survey Deliberation Commission (NESDC) is under the NEC  and 17 Provincial Committees are under each Provincial Election Commission. The NESDC has eleven Commissioners and are designated by the NEC. Each party with a negotiation group in the National Assembly (at least 20 seats, currently four parties) recommends one member, and the other Commissioners are chosen from a group of scholars, law experts and polling experts.

The main roles of the NESDC are as follows:

Investigate Illegal Election Polls

The NESDC has an authority to gain access to sites related to any poll-related crime, to demand submission of relevant materials, to summon those related to any violation, to take measures on the spot to prevent crimes, and to take possession of evidence from the crime scene.

Register Election Poll Agencies

Every agency which wishes to conduct election polls and to release and report the results must register with the NESDC in advance.

Deliberate on Election Polls & Deal with Complaints about the Results

The NESDC keeps monitoring as many political surveys as possible to check if they are legal.  Also, it deals with written complaints about the accuracy or credibility of the polls.

In general, election polls in the 19^th presidential election received little controversy and were seen as fairly accurate. The NESDC was able to ensure that election polls stayed within the law and maintained neutrality.

Author: Kim Sehun (Administration and International Affairs Division)
Editor: Luke Butcher (Administration and International Affairs Division)

On March 10, the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Korea confirmed the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye with just under a year left on her term of office. This means Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn will continue as Acting President and the 19th presidential election, originally scheduled for December 20 this year, will be brought forward to May 9 to fill the vacancy. There is likely going to be significant international interest in this election given the circumstances, and the biggest question is what happens now in terms of preparing for the election, and what does the law in Korea say about early presidential elections?

Even though no president has been impeached since the establishment of the Sixth Republic in 1987, the Constitution and election-related law set out a clear path for how the NEC should manage this election now the vacancy has been confirmed.

To begin with, as set out by the Constitution, the Prime Minister now takes over the duties of the President temporarily. However, unlike countries like the United States, the next person in the line of succession does not take over the term and full duties of the President. Instead, an election must be held immediately and the newly-elected candidate begins a full five-year term rather than inheriting the previous president’s term of office.

60 Day Deadline

The date for this election has now been set for May 9. This date was chosen by the Acting President in consultation with the NEC and based on Article 68 of the Constitution, which says that ‘(i)n case a vacancy occurs in the office of the President or the President-elect dies, or is disqualified by a court ruling or for any other reason, a successor shall be elected within sixty days.’ Since the Constitutional Court reached its decision on March 10, May 9 is the last day the election can be held according to this article. Usually election day is set to a Wednesday in Korea, but during the first week of May the Monday (Labor Day) Wednesday (Buddah’s Birthday) and the Friday  (Children’s Day) are public holidays, therefore making that week unsuitable for the election. Given the time frame required for preparation, no earlier Wednesday can be selected, so Tuesday May 9 was deemed as the most appropriate day to hold the election.

The NEC began the election process from the moment the vacancy was confirmed. Although this process will be shorter than usual, it will still go ahead in full and be managed in the normal way according to the law. For example, usually the preliminary candidate registration period opens 240 days before election day, but as this is obviously not possible in this case, preliminary candidate registration began the same day the Constitutional Court reached its decision and will continue until the full candidate registration period, which takes place over two days stating from 24 days before the election (April 15).

In addition, overseas voter registration has opened immediately. Previously, election law stipulated that overseas voting would not take place during special or early presidential elections until 2018, but an amendment earlier this year sped up the introduction of overseas voting for special presidential elections and allows Koreans abroad to vote in this election. The registration period will end March 30, so make sure to register on the NEC’s specially established website https://ova.nec.go.kr/ if you are a Korean citizen who won’t be in the country on election day.

Most processes to remain as normal

For nearly all other elements of the election process, this election will be no different to previous elections in terms of management (except for longer hours for the NEC staff!). The candidate registration period, the creation of the voters list and all of the voting and counting procedures remain unaffected, and we expect all candidates and stakeholders to continue to abide by election law.

One final small change will come after the election result is announced. Usually, the President-elect has at least 40 days after the election and before the incumbent’s term of office expires. However, in the case there is no incumbent president, the Constitution states that the President takes office from the moment their election has been confirmed. Therefore the President will take the oath of office upon official confirmation by the NEC when all ballots have been counted.

Here in the Administration and International Affairs Division, we will be holding an Election Visitor Program together with the 2017 Seoul International Forum on Elections (SIFE) in line with the elections as planned. We will be inviting members of other election management bodies and international organizations focused on elections and democracy from around the world to take part in the program to learn about the Korean election system and share knowledge and experience. For more information, keep checking our website and blog or email us on necvote@gmail.com!

Georgia CEC Chairperson Tamar Zhvania (left) and NEC Director of Administration and International Affairs Kim Bum-jin

Last week the NEC had the privilege of attending the 7^th Annual Meeting of Election Management Bodies hosted by our friends and partners the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Georgia. Many people outside the election management family may not be aware the conferences and forums comprising of some of the world’s top experts in our field happen fairly regularly and they are a vital part of the continued sharing of knowledge between those involved in election management.  So let’s dive into the details and take a look at what an election management conference looks like and what the NEC does to contribute to important international conferences and forums like this one.

The CEC of Georgia has been a very active international partner in the field of election management for many years now. As an organization they are a member of the Association of World Election Bodies (A-WEB), which is based here in Korea and is a key partner to the NEC, and the CEC has worked very closely with other organizations such as the International Center for Parliamentary Studies (ICPS) and the International Federation of Electoral Systems (IFES) in training election staff in Georgia and boosting female participation in politics.

NEC Director of Administration and International Affairs Kim Bum-jin speaks

Part of their international efforts is the Annual Meeting of Election Management Bodies hosted in partnership with ICPS and IFES. Every year election officials and experts come together in Georgia to discuss what they are doing in their work, the important issues they are facing and the unique solutions they have developed to solve these problems. The NEC have been delighted to participate in this event over the years and we were once again happy to be part of this year’s meeting.

Representing the NEC for 7^th Annual Meeting of Election Management Bodies was Director of the Administration and International Affairs Division Kim Bum-jin with two members of staff in support. They were joined by just over 100 other participants from election management and international organizations alike. Director Kim gave a presentation on the upcoming 2017 Seoul International Forum on Elections, and event we will introduce on are blog in the near future and you can find more about on our website.

The Goal of International Conferences

The goal of these conferences is to share experience and discuss the key issues surrounding election management, and is of particular use to election management bodies like the NEC. Presentations by election management bodies focus on particular issues they have faced on policies they have implemented, spreading any unique solutions to their peers and spreading different solutions to various difficult problems. Meanwhile international organizations undertaking research, holding training programs or working in the field itself through country programs are able to talk about the work they do and offer their expertise on the issues facing election management on the ground. The general philosophy of conferences like this is that there is a solution out there for an issue you may not even know about yet.

The room for the conference before the opening session

This conference for example included some interesting presentations from experts and election officials alike. For example, Alexander Shlyk, the Head of the Election Department at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), gave an informative lecture on technology and elections and the lessons learned from his experience within the OSCE. He spoke in particular about the sustainability of ICT in elections, and how staff must maintain any equipment introduced in elections to ensure it is credible.

In addition, Ahmed Sulaiman, Chairperson of the Maldives Election Commission, spoke about how a new result processing system revolutionized elections in his country. Previously, results and ballot boxes had to be sent to a central office, no easy feat for a country of more than 1,000 coral islands. The system was at the mercy of poor weather and difficult seas sometimes delaying election results. However, the introduction of an electronic result transmission system has vastly improved election management and is an example of how a small change in election management can change trust in elections.

Building Networks

The beautiful view of the Georgian landscape

Networking between organizations and election management bodies is also a vital part of these conferences. The NEC has built extensive partnerships with other management bodies such as the CEC of Georgia and international bodies such as the International IDEA at major international events and this has led to the NEC gathering important research for consideration in its own policies and the opportunity for us to share our experiences to transitional democracies worldwide.

Although nearly all the trip to Georgia was taken up by the two-day 7^th Annual Meeting of Election Management Bodies, The CEC also gave participants an opportunity to experience a taste of Georgian culture during the trip. There was an amazing opening dinner including some Georgian folk dancing, delicious traditional food and a drop of wine made in the Georgia, one of the oldest wine producing nations in world.  The last afternoon the day after the forum was also spent visiting a church with stunning views and descending down to the deep caves to sample some of beautiful nature unique to the country.

We would like to thank the CEC of Georgia, especially Chairperson Tamar Zhvania, for their excellent hospitality over the four days. The Annual Meeting of Election Management Bodies has become on the major events on the election management international calendar and we hope to be invited to next year’s conference!

The NEC was seated with election officials from Georgia and Pakistan

The Chairperson of the Georgian CEC singing traditional folk songs

NEC staff preparing for the first session