Public backlash erupts over ECT mistakes in advance voting
Public criticism mounted against officials from the Election Commission of Thailand (ECT) following a series of mistakes reported during Thailand’s advanced voting yesterday, February 1.
The ECT scheduled February 1 for advance voting ahead of the official General Election on February 8. It is designed to allow eligible Thai citizens who live outside their registered home provinces, or who are unable to attend polling stations on election day, to exercise their voting rights. Voters were required to register in advance to participate in the pre-election process.
Large numbers of voters, particularly those who had relocated from their home provinces to work in Bangkok and other major cities, turned out to cast their ballots. However, soon after polling stations opened, numerous complaints and reports of irregularities began circulating widely on social media.
Many voters shared accounts of confusion, misunderstandings, and errors by polling officials that they feared could result in their ballots being invalidated. Political candidates also raised concerns over inaccuracies in official information displayed at polling stations.
According to reports shared on the Facebook page Vote 62, several voters complained that lists of Member of Parliament (MP) candidates and political parties displayed on information boards at polling stations were incomplete, with some candidates and parties missing entirely.
In Phuket, voters reported that the name of a candidate who was already revoked from the election still appeared on the board, causing confusion among residents.
Other complaints included long delays, violations of the ban on photography inside polling stations, suspicious destruction of ballot papers, wrong electoral district codes, and errors related to advance voting registration that prevented some voters from casting their ballots.
Concerns were also raised by Rakchanok Srinork, a member of the People’s Party, who said multiple irregularities appeared to affect candidates from her party.
Rakchanok stated that polling stations in several provinces failed to display information about People’s Party candidates. In some cases, officials reportedly claimed that the party’s candidates were revoked, while outdated information from the 2023 General Election was still being displayed on official websites instead of current election data.
Rakchanok urged voters who witnessed suspicious behaviour or mistakes at polling stations to record evidence and share it publicly in order to protect their voting rights.
In response to the backlash, Sawaeng Boonmee, Secretary-General of the ECT, issued a public apology for the errors. He said officials would ensure that all mistakes were addressed and emphasised that voters’ rights would be protected. He added that the same issues would not occur during the official General Election on February 8.
The secretary-general also mentioned a suspected case of vote-buying in Surat Thani province, confirming that the ECT had gathered information and was currently investigating the matter. However, he said details could not yet be disclosed, as the court had not approved further legal action.
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