Number of Invalid Proportional Representation Votes in Last Week’s Election Hits Record 1.31 Mln

The number of invalid proportional representation votes in last week’s election reached a record of almost one-point-31 million. 

According to the National Election Commission(NEC) on Monday, out of a total of some 28-point-34 million votes cast for proportional representation seats in last week’s general elections, four-point-four percent or one million 309-thousand votes were invalid.

In last week’s election, the ruling People Power Party’s(PPP) satellite People’s Future Party secured the largest number of proportional representation votes with ten-point-04 million, followed by the main opposition Democratic Party’s(DP) sister party Democratic Alliance with seven-point-57 million.

Cho Kuk’s Rebuilding Korea Party came third, netting six-point-87 million votes, followed by the New Reform Party led by former PPP leader Lee Jun-seok, which came in fourth with one million 30-thousand votes, securing two proportional seats. 

The number of invalid votes was larger than the number of votes secured by the fourth-placed opposition party. 

The number of invalid votes and the percentage of those votes both posted record highs not seen since the 2004 general elections, when the nation introduced an election system in which voters cast two votes — one for candidates from their constituencies and one for political parties they support.