The Election Commission on Sunday reaffirmed that the Feb 8 general election was run in strict compliance with the principle of “direct and secret voting”.
Every stage of the process, including voters’ choices, was protected by law, the EC said, as it moved to address concerns that barcodes on ballot papers could have compromised voter confidentiality.
The EC last week dismissed a petition for a recount in Chon Buri’s constituency 1, saying no evidence of irregularities was found. It also defended the use of barcodes on ballot papers, describing them as lawful security features to prevent forgery and ensure proper ballot management.
In its statement issued on Sunday, the EC said every stage of the electoral process was backed by clear legal provisions designed to protect the secrecy of the ballot and the independence of voters’ choices.
The notice was intended to publicise the legal guarantees protecting voter confidentiality and to assure the public that voting was conducted directly and in secret under the 2017 Constitution.
Citing Section 146 of the 2018 Organic Act on the Election of Members of the House of Representatives, the EC underscored that no polling station official may disclose whether any eligible voter had, or had not, cast a ballot during polling hours in a way that benefitted or harmed any candidate or party. Violations were punishable by up to one year’s imprisonment and/or a fine of 20,000 baht.
The commission stressed that the privacy of voters was legally protected and strictly confidential, to ensure their freedom of choice and prevent pressure or interference in the electoral process.
“The election was conducted under the principle, of ’direct and secret voting’, with explicit legal measures in place at every step,” the EC reaffirmed, adding that eligible voters could be confident their personal data and decisions were protected by law.
Members of the public who still had questions were encouraged to seek further information from the EC’s website, provincial EC offices, or the commission’s 1444 hotline.
