[National] Government mulls incentives for voters

The government is considering giving citizens tangible incentives to vote in next year's presidential election, by giving them lottery tickets or gift certificates for cultural activities.

The idea appears to be an attempt to raise voter turnout. In the 1999 presidential election, 80.7 percent of eligible voters voted, but only 70.8 percent voted in 2002. 48.9 percent voted in the regional elections in 2002, much lower than the 68.5 percent who voted in regional elections in, 1995.

Ahn Young-bae, the vice minister of Government Information Agency, said that tPrime Minister Han Myeong-sook said to the ministerial conference that every ministry should exert its utmost effort and provide fundamental plans to increase turnout in the next election.

"Foreign countries give penalties to those who don’t vote, but we should think about offering incentives," said Han.

Brazil, Singapore, Chile and Australia levy fines on citizens who fail to vote, while in several nations, including Argentina and the Philippines, they restrict people's right to become public officials. In Belgium, people who miss four elections are erased from the voter’s list or exempted from promotion in public service.

Choe Ingnim, [e-mail]