According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, there will be 45,429 polling stations nationwide for the House of Representatives election. This is a 15% decrease from the peak of 53,434 polling stations in 2000, 24 years ago. It is known that when the number of polling stations decreases, the habit of voting disappears and the voter turnout rate declines. If the difference in ease of voting becomes greater depending on the area you live in, it will affect the very foundation of democracy. The decrease in polling stations is linked to the consolidation and closure of public facilities due to municipal mergers and population decline. As consolidation and closure progresses, it is becoming difficult to secure personnel to operate polling stations due to the decrease in local government employees and residents. In order to increase voter turnout and ensure equal voting opportunities, it is becoming necessary to update the election system in line with changes in society.
In 2021, the election management committee of Choshi City, Chiba Prefecture, consolidated the number of polling stations from 28 to 16. Instead of consolidating to 16, they adopted a system in which vehicles carrying ballot boxes go around to areas far from polling stations. In addition, Nanbu Town in Tottori Prefecture introduced “online attendance.” In advance voting, “online attendance” is being implemented, in which the duties of an observer are carried out from a remote location. In addition to one observer, there is another observer from a conference room in the town hall about 12 kilometers away. The other observer checks the voting situation via a computer. This is a “desperate measure” to make up for the shortage of observers.
In addition, an advanced model of mobile polling stations has also emerged. This is a method in which a vehicle carrying an observer and ballot boxes goes around to the homes of voters who wish to vote early. In Taiki Town, Hokkaido, for one day only, a vehicle carrying a ballot box went around to the homes of voters who wished to vote early. These mobile early voting stations were first introduced in Hamada City, Shimane Prefecture in 2016 and have since spread to other areas. 131 municipalities have used this system in the recent House of Representatives election, which is about four times the number used in the 2019 House of Councillors election (33 municipalities). Due to population decline and budget cuts, voting under the traditional system is no longer possible. There is also a need for improvements to increase convenience for residents through digitalization and reduce the burden on municipal employees. From the perspective of efficient administration, reducing the burden on employees, and reflecting public opinion, we would like to push forward with reforms to the system design using My Number cards. If voting could be completed by simply waving your My Number card, the efficiency of elections would improve dramatically and people would be happy.
