Bangkok: The Constitutional Court has extended the deadline for the Election Commission to submit its explanation in the barcode ballot case by 15 days. This decision allows additional time for the Election Commission to prepare its response and list of evidence regarding the allegations tied to the February 8, 2026 election.
According to Thai News Agency, the petition, which originated from a high-ranking source within the Constitutional Court, highlighted concerns raised by the Ombudsman about the use of barcodes and QR codes on MP ballots. The petition argued that these features could potentially compromise the secrecy of the vote by enabling the tracing of voters and verifying voting results. Such actions were claimed to be in violation of several constitutional articles, specifically Articles 25, 34, 50 (3), 83 paragraph two, 85, 95, and 224.
In response to these allegations, the Constitutional Court has mandated the Election Commission, including the EC Secretary-General and the EC Office, to submit formal statements. Both the petitioners and respondents have been instructed to provide lists of evidence and outline the methods by which this evidence was obtained within the specified 15-day extension. Initially, the Election Commission had requested more time to compile these documents, prompting the court to grant this extension, with the new deadline expected to be reached by the end of April.