Early voting for the House of Representatives election and the national review for Justices of the Supreme Court commenced on Wednesday. The Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry, along with municipalities, are encouraging people to take advantage of early voting due to the anticipated increase in travel during the autumn season and plans made for October 27th, which is election day.
The early voting system is designed for individuals who are unable to vote on election day due to work commitments, travel arrangements, leisure activities, weddings, funerals or other prior engagements. In the previous lower house election held in 2021, voter turnout was recorded at 55.93%, with early voters accounting for 19.54% of that total.
Out of a total of 58.9 million eligible voters, approximately 35% have utilized the early voting system since its introduction in 2005. The number of users has steadily increased over time.
During the last election cycle, a total of 5,940 early voting locations were established nationwide. These polling stations have become more diverse and accessible by including universities, shopping centers as well as public facilities like municipal office buildings and train stations.
In principle, early voting will continue until October 26th with doors open from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., although operating hours may vary depending on location.
For instance in Suginami Ward located in Tokyo City; a polling station was set up at their ward office conference room starting from Wednesday morning at precisely 8:30 a.m.
Due to limited preparation time leading up to this year’s elections; standard voting tickets featuring unique barcodes were not issued promptly within Suginami Ward jurisdiction area. Consequently on Wednesday morning when voters arrived without their barcodes; alternative forms of identification were used to confirm their identities before they were provided with their respective ballots.