A 65-year-old man tore a ballot paper "Election 2026" in front of polling officials, claiming it was unintentional and that he had opened the ballot too forcefully.
On 8 Feb 2026, reports indicated a disturbance at polling station number 14 in Electoral District 1, Ban Yang Oi Tai, Hang Chat District, Lampang Province, where a 65-year-old former military officer from Lampang tore a ballot paper in front of polling staff.
Following the incident, Mr. Thongnet Dujae, the Lampang Provincial Election Director, went to Hang Chat Police Station to meet investigators and initiate legal proceedings under election law. The man initially claimed he did not intend to tear the ballot but had applied too much force when unfolding it and was careless, causing the damage.
Polling staff then took the man into custody and preserved the torn ballot as evidence, promptly reporting the incident to provincial authorities.
Election laws prohibit deliberately damaging ballots in parliamentary elections, including tearing or causing a valid ballot to become invalid. Violations carry penalties of up to 5 years imprisonment, fines up to 100,000 baht, and a 10-year suspension of voting rights (Parliamentary Election Act, Section 144).
In referendums, destroying or intentionally damaging ballots is punishable by up to 1 year imprisonment, fines up to 20,000 baht, or both (Referendum Act, Section 74). Hang Chat Police have recorded the complaint and will forward it to the court for further consideration.