Bangkok: The Secretary-General of the Election Commission expressed gratitude to citizens for participating in the provincial administrative organization elections and addressed issues regarding missing ballots in Bueng Kan Province.
According to Thai News Agency, Mr. Saeng Boonmee, the Secretary-General of the Election Commission, announced that after the polls closed for the elections of the provincial administrative organization president and council members, vote counting commenced at each polling station. He extended his appreciation to those who voted and also thanked employers who facilitated their employees' voting rights.
The election proceeded smoothly overall, though six instances of voters tearing their ballots were reported, leading to the Election Commission filing complaints with the police. The police are set to investigate these cases further.
Concerning voters unable to find their names at polling stations, the Secretary-General clarified differences between local and MP elections. In local elections, if a voter's name has been registered at their address for less than a year, they are ineligible to vote, unlike in MP elections where party-list voting is possible despite address changes. The number of affected individuals is estimated to be under ten, prompting a proposal to review the law to safeguard voter rights. Importantly, those unable to vote due to registration issues will not lose future voting rights.
Regarding election result announcements, the Secretary-General stated that the Election Commission will conduct an initial review, with results expected within 30 days for polling stations deemed fair. However, problematic stations may have their result announcements delayed by up to 60 days. The number of candidates also influences result announcements, as single-candidate constituencies require candidates to secure more than 10% of eligible votes, surpassing 'no vote' counts, to avoid a re-election.
In this election, one constituency had no candidates due to disqualifications, necessitating a future re-election announcement by the Election Commission.
Addressing the 300 missing ballots in Bueng Kan Province, the Secretary-General reported that the Bueng Kan City polling station, meant for 630 eligible voters, initially received only 360 ballots due to a mix-up. Additional ballots were subsequently requested, and the incident was documented.
The voter turnout for the Provincial Administrative Organization elections fell short of the 65% target, raising concerns about the Election Commission's performance. However, the Secretary-General emphasized their commitment to facilitating voter participation, acknowledging logistical challenges such as ballot delivery in regions with difficult terrain.
Eligible voters who missed voting are required to report their reasons within seven days, from February 2-8, using district registration offices, local offices, the Election Commission website, or the Smart Vote application. Official vote counting results are anticipated in many provinces by 8:00 p.m.