Low Voting Rates Among the Twenties
The voting rate in 2016 parliamentary election has risen comparably. ST introduces voting rates among the twenties and reasons why some people are hesitant about voting. ..............................................................Ed
The general election in South Korea, which was held on April 13, 2016, allowed the voters to elect people who will represent them in the parliament. The voting rates have always been a major issue whenever these National elections are held. In particular, the voting rates from the people in their twenties were the most controversial.
According to KBS, one of the biggest broadcasting systems in Korea, the voting rates among the people in their twenties estimated 49.4% in the exit poll. The turnout rate was 7% higher than the last election, but it is still low when compared to the other age groups.
As the chart indicates, the voting rates of the people in their twenties recorded 14.9%, which is the lowest among the age groups. In general, the gap between the people in their twenties and the people over sixty years old came out high with 13.4%. Why is this happening? ST had a survey on 100 people in their twenties. It turned out that 30% of the participants did not vote for the general election.
According to the chart, 32% of the people who did not vote said that “nothing changes whether I vote or not.” The second highest reason was that the people were “not interested in politics,” which was recorded as 24%. For these reasons, every time the election comes, people in their twenties are blamed for their indifference.
However, some experts said that politicians are also responsible for those non-participating people in their twenties. The representative of the ‘Cheong Nyeon Ha-Da,’ which is a political community composed of people in their twenties and thirties, said that “the act of politicians saying that they work hard for the twenties only cause resistance to the twenties”. Another expert said that “trying to communicate with the twenties on why
they are not voting is the right way to induce them to vote”.
Although voting is not obligatory, the low voting rates among the people in their twenties are considered to be a serious issue. Low turnout rate means the presence of the twenties in politics is fading. The twenties will have to participate more actively and raise their voice.