The right to vote is the right of individuals to directly or indirectly engage in state affairs, and participation in elections is crucial to ensure this right. Around the world, various countries are introducing different systems to protect suffrage.
In Japan, a ‘mobile vehicle polling station’ has been introduced since 2016 to visit the homes of voters who find it inconvenient to go to the polling station in person, such as the elderly and disabled, ensuring they do not give up on voting. This voting method allows voters to designate a convenient time and place, like voting at home.
For example, if an elderly voter makes a reservation by phone or online to vote in front of their house at 2 p.m., a mobile vehicle polling station will come to the house then. The voting process is the same as that of ordinary polling stations, and voting officials always stay in the vehicle. Reservations are generally required first, but it is possible to make same-day reservations and vote as long as the mobile voting vehicle’s route aligns. The locations of mobile voting vehicles roaming the city are made available through a smartphone app, enabling same-day reservations and voting. The Japanese government plans to assess the increase in voter turnout among the elderly through the voting results and decide whether to expand it nationwide.
According to Singapore’s election law, candidates running in elections, such as presidential and general elections, must choose a symbol to represent them and register it with the Election Bureau before the start of the election period. The symbol is inscribed with the candidate’s name on the ballot paper used by voters on election day. Symbols with racial and religious meanings cannot be used. This prevents voters from confusing candidates’ names, as Singapore is a multiracial and multicultural country that uses English, Chinese, Malay, and Tamil as official languages. This also prevents older voters from inadvertently voting based on letters printed on ballots. In this way, countries worldwide strive for equal and direct voting. Accordingly, Korea should also seek various systems.
저작권자 © 영남대학교 언론출판문화원 무단전재 및 재배포 금지
