A ballot-paper shortage at several polling stations in Seoul's Songpa-gu district forced approximately 100 people to wait and briefly halted voting [1].
The disruption occurred during the June 3, 2024, local elections [4]. The incident raises concerns about the administrative competence of the Central Election Commission and the potential for voter disenfranchisement in high-turnout areas.
The shortage began at 1 p.m. [3] in the Jamsil area, including the Jamsil 2-dong 6 polling station. By 4:30 p.m., voting had stopped entirely at the affected stations [2].
An official from the Central Election Commission said ballot papers are printed in advance and distributed to each station based on the number of people in each voting district. The official said an error may have occurred during this allocation process.
On-site election staff said they were waiting for instructions from the commission. Rep. Song Eon-seok of the Democratic Party said the situation was unacceptable, stating it was not the 19th century and such an event should not happen.
While initial reports indicated a total stop in voting at 4:30 p.m. [2], subsequent updates indicated that ballot papers were being transferred to the sites so that normal voting could proceed [2].
“Approximately 100 people waited in line due to the ballot-paper shortage.”
The failure to provide sufficient ballots in a high-density area like Jamsil suggests a gap between projected turnout and actual voter participation. Because the Central Election Commission manages the logistics of ballot distribution, this error may prompt a review of how voter quotas are calculated for urban districts to prevent similar delays in future election cycles.
