By Park Kyung-man, north Gyeonggi correspondent
The “voting market” drive that was organized during the 2012 presidential campaign in a bid to motivate citizens to vote will be making another appearance for the June 4 municipal elections.
The Goyang Rainbow Alliance 2.0, which is made up of activists from around 30 civic groups in and around the city of Goyang in Gyeonggi Province, announced on May 26 that it had decided to set up a voting market before the elections. The alliance is currently accepting applications from companies that would like to participate, with the goal of registering 500 companies.
A voting market refers to businesses that sell their products at a discount to people who vote in an election. During the 2012 presidential election, around 1,000 businesses in Gwangju and Jeolla Province - including restaurants, movie theaters, bookstores, coffee shops, opticians, and clothing stores - participated in the campaign.
Bearing in mind that early voting will take place from May 30 to May 31, the alliance is planning to run the voting market from May 30 to June 5 (the day after the election). The scope of discounts and the period they will be offered will be left up to the participating businesses. So far, around 100 businesses, including Babo Jumak, iCoop Korea, and Daemyeong Oriental Medicine Clinic, have agreed to take part in the campaign. The businesses will reportedly provide discounts from 10% to 30%.
After casting their vote, citizens can receive a discount at a business participating in the voting market by providing the business with a photo taken at the entrance to the polling station or a note confirming that they voted.
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