The Election Commission (EC) emphasized that outsiders can assist in campaigns only if they register as campaign assistants according to the law and report expenses. It confirmed that labeling the envelopes for early voting ballots will not cause confusion, as stamps will be used instead, and the postal service will ensure correct delivery to the appropriate districts. The public is requested to study the information before casting their ballots.
At 09:30 on 12 Jan 2026 GMT+7 Mr. Saweang Bunmee, Secretary-General of the Election Commission (EC) Speaking at the Rama Gardens Hotel about involving outsiders in election campaigning, he said that candidates may appoint anyone, whether party members or outsiders, to assist in campaigning, but they must be qualified voters under the EC regulations regarding campaign assistants. Once appointed, they can assist candidates or parties in campaigning. The appointment of campaign assistants involves compensation, which is accounted for as expenses. These expenses must be reported both before and after the election to the provincial EC office. If anyone acts as a campaign assistant without proper registration, the EC must be informed immediately.
At the same time, the EC Secretary-General addressed preparations for early voting and overseas voting, stating that ballots were dispatched on Friday, 9 Jan 2026 GMT+7. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will proceed according to each country's arrangements. Voting abroad includes three methods: postal voting, mobile voting units, and voting at embassies, depending on each country's situation. He expects the process to run smoothly. Ballots for parliamentary elections will be returned to Thailand for counting and then forwarded to respective electoral districts. This process is expected to improve continuously, with no errors in previous rounds. For referendum ballots counted abroad, results will be sent back to Thailand within 48 hours.
The EC Secretary-General further discussed the overall voting on 1 Feb 2026 GMT+7 for voters registered outside their districts. Offices and involved staff will strive to improve services continuously. Some locations have registrations of 20,000 to 30,000 people, and given limited space, it may not be 100% convenient, but efforts will be made to enhance convenience. Key facilitation includes preventing confusion in addressing the ballot envelopes, since voters from all 77 provinces may vote at the same location. The EC will also manage conveniences such as comfortable voting conditions and parking availability.
Mr. Saweang confirmed that this year’s ballot envelope addressing will avoid confusion. The polling station officials will be responsible for filling out documents to ensure orderliness. He urged voters to study where they registered to vote, as these polling stations are larger than usual but will have staff to assist. Voters must prepare identification documents such as ID cards or government-issued cards and can also use ThaiD for identification.
Regarding the creation of vinyl posters with candidate and party information displayed inside polling stations, Mr. Saweang stated that this is a mandatory EC practice to assist voters. Since ballots are generic with only numbers and checkboxes, the EC will provide vinyl posters listing all candidates and party numbers for each district. This helps voters recall details so they can correctly mark their choices.