Election Commission Reveals Overwhelming Number of Early and Out-of-District Voting Requests Exceeding Venue Capacity

The EC Secretary-General invited Bangkok district offices to discuss the organization of early voting and out-of-district referendum voting, finding that the volume of requests to exercise voting rights far exceeds venue capacity, necessitating additional polling stations and shuttle services to transport voters.

At 09:00 on 13 Jan 2026 GMT+7, Mr. Sa-nga Boonmee, Secretary-General of the Election Commission (EC), held talks with Acting Lieutenant Samphan Saengkamlert, Director of the EC Bangkok Office (EC Bangkok Director), and Bangkok district offices to coordinate understanding on facilitating voters. This concerns early voting on 1 Feb 2026 and out-of-district referendum voting on 8 Feb, where districts with tens of thousands registered for out-of-district early voting on 1 Feb discussed securing additional polling venues to accommodate the large turnout, including obtaining permission to provide shuttle services for voters’ convenience.

The five districts with the highest number of early voting registrations are:

• . (Note: appears to be a fragment, possibly a typo or incomplete) Pathum Wan District, Constituency 2, which has 22,925 registered early voters and 19,035 registered for out-of-district referendum voting, while the venue can only accommodate 10,000 people.
• Huai Khwang District, Constituency 5, has 32,484 registered voters and 24,717 registered for out-of-district referendum voting, but the venue capacity is only 11,000.
• Lak Si District, Constituency 8, has 25,763 early voting registrants and 18,180 registered for out-of-district referendum voting, but the venue can hold only 1,000 people.
• Chatuchak District, Constituency 9, has 51,739 early voting registrations and 39,687 for out-of-district referendum voting, while the venue accommodates 22,000.
• Bang Kapi District, has 58,727 early voting registrations and 42,202 for out-of-district referendum voting.

Following the discussion, the EC Secretary-General stated that today’s meeting with Bangkok and district offices was to prepare for out-of-district voting because this year has seen a surge in registration requests. They addressed issues from the 2023 election, especially regarding ballot envelope addressing, to prevent recurrence, and emphasized facilitating voters as much as possible. They also discussed polling venues and referendum sites, particularly in districts with high registration such as Bang Kapi and Chatuchak, ensuring smooth and problem-free voting. Based on talks with relevant agencies, they expect orderly conduct due to experience from the 2023 election, with problems like venue shortages, polling staff issues, voter services, and weak Wi-Fi signals being addressed.

Mr. Sa-nga added, that regarding requests to change out-of-district referendum venues on 8 Feb, some units with large registration numbers may consider relocating venues. Previously, officials mistakenly assumed early voting would include referendum voting and thus did not reserve venues, causing unavailability. Hence, venue negotiations are necessary. As for the official number of eligible voters, the Ministry of Interior is still surveying, with no clear figure yet. The approximate number is about 53 million, pending compilation of data after early voting registrations, expected to be completed soon.

Regarding candidate qualification checks, some citizens have disclosed information and opposed certain candidates due to bankruptcy or corruption issues. The EC Secretary-General said the EC verifies candidates’ qualifications with 26 agencies, but lack of databases sometimes causes oversights. However, associates or acquaintances may reveal if candidates have convictions or legal cases, which the EC then verifies with relevant bodies like courts to determine disqualifying offenses. Citizens with information on any candidate can submit complaints to the EC for investigation.