Cast your votes today no matter what

Today is Election Day. The results from Wednesday will have a huge impact on the Yoon Suk Yeol administration’s policy for the next three years. The voter turnout in preliminary voting last week hit a record high of 31.3 percent. But that also means that seven out of 10 voters had not yet voted. As voting represents people’s rights and duties in a democracy, voters must cast their ballots in elections.

First of all, the country can advance further only when the people elect as many honest and rational candidates as possible. The National Assembly can check the government effectively only when it is comprised of qualified lawmakers. Otherwise, the legislature becomes an obstacle in the development of the country. It all depends on voters’ decision today.

Second, legislative elections offer a precious chance to achieve significant change — political and social — for the country, as the executive branch must reflect the decisions of voters when running the government after the election. As clearly seen in the past, the governing People Power Party (PPP) and the majority Democratic Party (DP) take a drastically different approach to diplomatic, security, tax, energy, labor and gender issues, even though they were overshadowed by all the off-track remarks and slander against rivals by candidates of the two major parties. Many changes can take place in government policies depending on results of their votes.

Third, voters must vote to check how their tax money is spent by the government. The new National Assembly will closely watch to see if the conservative administration efficiently spends this year’s budget of 656 trillion won ($484 billion). Voters must select the best watchmen this time.

Fourth, only high voter turnouts can ensure the representation of the legislature. Just as in presidential elections, high turnouts matter in parliamentary elections, too, as it can bolster our representative democracy.

In democracy, voting serves as the most useful tool to embody the common good of society. This election in Korea is a crucial event for voters to evaluate the performance of the 23-month-old government and express their hopes for the remaining term of the conservative government. Undoubtedly, the future direction of the government will depend on the votes cast today.

At the same time, this election offers a venue to objectively weigh the opposition’s ability to take power in the next presidential election in 2027. Voters will judge the ability based on their assessments of what the majority party has done so far. We hope voters cast their ballot wisely to help determine the direction of the government and the country.