19th Presidential Elections: Date for Candidate Registration and Early Voting Periods Confirmed

= Election campaign period also confirmed as April 17 to May 8 =

The National Election Commission (NEC) of the Republic of Korea set the official election schedule for the 19th presidential election after the election date was confirmed as May 9.

The registration for overseas voters will close on March 30, 40 days before election day.

Candidate registration will be held on April 15 and 16 even though those dates fall on a weekend. Current public officials wishing to register as a candidate must resign before April 9.

The voters list will be created over five days from April 11 to 15 and during the same period it will also be possible to register for shipboard and home voting.

The election campaign period lasts 22 days from April 17 to May 8, the day before election day. However, the Public Official Election Act has been amended, and now election campaigns can be conducted on election day on the Internet, and through e-mail and text message, including taking ‘selfies’ with a marked ballot and posting it on SNS on election day.

By April 22, election campaign posters will be posted at 87,000 locations nationwide that are publically viewable, and election material in booklet form and election leaflets together with polling station information will be sent to every household by April 25 and April 29 respectively. 

Meanwhile, from April 25 to April 30, 204 polling stations in 116 countries around the world will be set up for overseas voting and from May 1 to May 4 shipboard voting will be held. From May 4 to 5, early voting will be conducted at 3,500 polling stations across the country. 

The voting hours for early voting are 6am to 6pm, and election day voting is two hours longer than usual from 6am to 8pm, even though the day is designated as a temporary holiday.

The NEC announced that now election day has been finalized, it would do everything in its power to prepare for the election, and asks voters to carefully examine the candidates’ policies and commitments given that the election period is short.