Bangkok: Senator Nanthana is set to discuss with the Election Commission regarding her request to exercise her right to vote in the referendum in advance. Senator Nanthana requested a meeting with the Election Commission following complaints from citizens to the Committee on Political Development that they were unable to register to vote in the referendum in advance. Furthermore, they were required to present themselves twice to vote, causing delays. It is believed this will result in an imbalance in the number of voters. She asked the Election Commission how they would take responsibility if the difference amounted to millions of votes.
According to Thai News Agency, Senator Nanthana Nanthavaropas visited the Election Commission, citing a need to discuss the organization of the general election and referendum. She explained that the Senate's Political Development Committee had received numerous complaints from citizens regarding the inability to register for advance voting in the referendum, unlike the advance registration for the general election. This would mean that those unable to vote on February 8th would lose their right to vote in the February 8th referendum. She stated that this issue has caused hardship for many citizens and therefore needed to discuss with the Election Commission what methods could be implemented in the remaining 18 days to help those who wish to vote in the referendum but cannot do so on February 8th.
Furthermore, there's the issue of the polling stations and referendum polling units on February 8th, which the Election Commission has stipulated requires voters to present themselves twice. Complaints have been raised that having to queue again to vote in the referendum after already casting their vote is a waste of time. Referring back to the 2023 election, where 75.8% of the population participated and voters queued for much longer to receive their ballots, this time voters will have to queue again for the referendum ballot, causing unnecessary delays. However, if the process were streamlined-registering, presenting themselves, receiving three ballots, and then casting their vote-it would be less complicated, as the referendum ballot has distinct boxes for "agree" and "disagree," different from the regular election ballot.
However, the Election Commission's two-stage process will result in voters simply leaving after casting their ballots because they perceive long queues for re-voting. Those voting close to the closing time may not be able to secure a spot in line. This is the difficulty and obstacle to the referendum process. Therefore, I urge the Election Commission to adjust this process, as those involved are their own personnel. If they maintain the current system, I believe there will be a significant discrepancy between the number of voters in the general election and the number of referendum voters. If I set this as a KPI for the Election Commission - ensuring that the number of referendum voters matches the number of general election voters - and the difference is millions of people, will the Election Commission take responsibility? A lower referendum turnout will impact constitutional amendments. Therefore, I want to urge the Election Commission to consider how to resolve this issue, as there are only 18 days left.
Ms. Nanthana also stated that the Committee on Political Development had previously tried to schedule a meeting with the Election Commission, but the date was too far away, at the end of this month. Therefore, she wanted to discuss with the Election Commission what possible solutions could address the hardships faced by the public. She also expressed a desire for the first-ever referendum held concurrently with an election to yield equal results - that is, to ensure that voters who participate in the election also cast their votes in the referendum, saving both money and time, and achieving higher efficiency than is currently the case. She believes the Election Commission should take the lead in campaigning to encourage people to vote in the referendum, and urged them to dedicate their remaining time fully to this effort.
When asked whether the Election Commission confirmed there would be no change to the polling station format because it was a different law and had been carefully considered, Ms. Nanthana said that she understood the difference in laws, but the reason for holding the referendum on the same day as the election was to save money and time for the public, allowing them to attend both the election and the referendum in one go. Therefore, the methods for obtaining votes for both the referendum and the election had to be adapted. The Election Commission could do this because those involved in the process are its own personnel.
Reporters said that while Ms. Nanthana was giving an interview in front of the Election Commission office, a member of the public who was conducting business at another agency within the Government Complex shouted at her, "Why change it? The original was fine as it was," before walking past.