Since the polls opened, frontline soldiers stationed at the Surin border have flocked to vote early outside their district. Local residents have allowed soldiers to vote first, planning to cast their ballots again in the afternoon.
On 1 Feb 2026 GMT+7 at 08:00, at the Kabchoeng District Hall in Surin Province, which serves as the venue for early voting for the general election of members of the House of Representatives and the referendum, held outside Electoral District 8 of Surin Province, Mr. Sutthiroj Charoenthanasak, the district chief of Kabchoeng, presided as chairman of the Election Commission committee for Electoral District 8 of Surin Province.
Reporters noted that after the polls opened, military personnel from various units stationed along the Thai-Cambodian border in Surin Province, who had registered to vote, arrived to cast their early ballots. They lined up in long queues to wait for their turn at the voting booths. Meanwhile, some local voters who came early joined the lines upon seeing the many soldiers, but most planned to return in the afternoon to vote again, waiting for the number of soldiers to decrease.
Mr. Sutthiroj Charoenthanasak, district chief of Kabchoeng and chairman of the Election Commission committee for Electoral District 8 of Surin Province, said that today there was a large number of early voters registered to vote outside their district, mostly soldiers stationed in the area and some local residents, totaling 1,343 people. Soldiers began arriving as early as 7 a.m. Initially, the Election Commission’s mobile application was used to check voter registration order, as there were three polling units separated by province. Using the app allowed voters to know their turn to vote. Outside, no paper register was posted for verification. The app on mobile phones made the process more convenient and faster. The only challenge was that many soldiers arrived together, often in the same vehicle. Local voters were expected to come in the afternoon. In the morning, the majority were soldiers; some locals who came early saw the large number of soldiers and chose to step back, allowing soldiers to vote first and planned to return later in the afternoon. Overall, the situation was normal.
