Thai citizens in Canada actively exercised their right to vote overseas between 24-25 January 2026 at the Royal Thai Embassy in Ottawa and the Consulate General in Vancouver, braving temperatures as low as -30 degrees Celsius.
On 24 January 2026, the Consulate General in Vancouver organized overseas voting for registered Thai voters associated with the consulate, covering those living in Western Canada, including the provinces of British Columbia and Alberta.
Mr. Jumphat Chawang, Deputy Consul General and acting Consul General in Vancouver, reported that the consulate opened polling stations for registered voters to cast ballots in person from 10:00 to 16:00 hours on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 January 2026, attracting a large turnout.
Regarding voters who registered for postal voting, Mr. Jumphat Chawang said that many ballots and referendum papers have already been returned by mail to the Consulate General in Vancouver.
At the polling station of the Royal Thai Embassy in Ottawa, Ms. Paranee Klaesuban, Chargé d’Affaires ad interim, stated that registered voters could vote in person on Sunday, 25 January 2026, from 09:00 to 16:00 local time.
The voting at the Royal Thai Embassy in Ottawa began with ballot box inspection led by Mr. Sharif Yothasamut, First Secretary and chairman of the election committee, who invited two registered voters to witness the empty ballot boxes before sealing them. The polls officially opened at 9 a.m. Ottawa local time.
Registered voters from Eastern Canada, including Ontario and Quebec, arrived throughout the day to vote in person despite temperatures of -30 degrees Celsius and a snowstorm affecting Eastern Canada and the Atlantic region, which fall under the embassy's jurisdiction.
Regarding postal voting, Ms. Paranee Klaesuban said that ballots and referendum papers have been mailed out to registered postal voters and many have already returned their ballots to the Royal Thai Embassy in Ottawa. The embassy plans to send the ballots back to Thailand for counting by diplomatic pouch in two shipments: the first on 26 January 2026 and the second on 1 February 2026.
Additionally, Ms. Paranee Klaesuban expressed gratitude to all voters who came to vote in person and those who have mailed their ballots and referendum papers back to the embassy.
This election saw first-time voters among students, who expressed happiness at the opportunity to exercise their voting rights despite being outside Thailand.
