South Korea holds election despite pandemic

South Koreans wore face masks, checked their temperature, and disinfected their hands at 14,000 polling stations on Wednesday. Voter turnout hit a record 66 percent, including 26.7 percent who voted in advance, despite COVID-19 fears. The parliamentary election pits the ruling Democratic Party against the conservative opposition United Future Party.

What precautions did the country take? More than 13,000 people under self-quarantine for the coronavirus voted at least one hour after the polls closed to others. The National Electoral Commission also set up separate polling stations and allowed mail-in ballots for about 2,800 COVID-19 patients. South Korea is one of the only countries to hold an election during the pandemic. Many others, like France and Ethiopia, have announced delays.

Dig deeper: Read Steve West’s report in Liberties about how the coronavirus is changing the U.S. election process.