The overseas election and referendum have begun with lively activity as the Election Commission (EC) tours abroad to check preparedness and meet Thai citizens to address the issue of returned ballots.
On 23 Jan 2026 GMT+7, the atmosphere for the election of House of Representatives members and overseas referendum voting started energetically in many countries worldwide, with several embassies beginning to receive returned ballot envelopes from voters to prepare for sending them back to Thailand by 5 Feb.
Meanwhile, the EC traveled extensively to Belgium, Australia, and the U.S. to observe the process and hold forums to answer questions from Thai citizens abroad, especially in Sydney and Los Angeles, where registrations are densest. However, several areas, such as Seoul and Tokyo, encountered many "returned ballots" due to unclear postal addresses or addresses listed as in Thailand. Embassies promptly announced for Thai voters who have not yet received ballots to contact them urgently to preserve their rights in time.
Additionally, minor issues like forgetting to sign on the envelope or ballot damage during transport have occurred. The EC confirmed that if these do not affect voting, the ballots will be counted normally. Referendum ballots will be counted at embassy offices, with results sent back to Thailand by 9 Feb to be combined with domestic results.
