Early voting for next week’s local elections and parliamentary by-elections began Friday at 3,571 polling stations nationwide.From soldiers arriving in groups to senior citizens and young parents accompanied by children, polling stations across the country reflected a broad cross-section of the electorate.Polling booths will remain open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. during the two-day early voting period, which runs through Saturday. Unlike on election day on June 3, eligible voters may cast their ballots at any polling station nationwide regardless of their registered place of residence.First started in 2013, early voting has accounted for a significant share of voter turnout in recent elections, making up 31.3 percent and 34.7 percent of total turnout in the 2024 general elections and 2025 presidential elections, respectively. A voter carrying a toddler casts a ballot at a polling station in Daejeon on Friday. (Yonhap) Buddhist monks cast their ballots at a polling station in Yangsan, Gyeongsang-do, on Friday. (Yonhap) Marines cast their ballots at an early voting station on Jeju Island on Friday. (Yonhap) A boy helps insert a ballot into a ballot box alongside a voter at a polling station in Daegu on Friday. (Yonhap) People queue up to cast their votes at lunchtime in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on Friday. (Yonhap) People queue up to cast their votes in Busan on Friday. (Yonhap) People take “voting proof” photos with character-themed cards stamped after voting outside a polling station in Seoul on Friday. (Yonhap) A voter takes a selfie beside a polling station sign in Ulsan on Friday. (Newsis)