Reporting Absence from Voting in the 2026 Election and Referendum 2026 The government explains the detailed procedure for reporting absence from voting in the House of Representatives election and referendum from 9 to 15 February 2026, urging voters to report promptly to avoid political rights restrictions.
On 9 February 2026, Ms. Airin Panrit, Deputy Spokesperson of the Office of the Prime Minister, announced that the government invites eligible voters for the House of Representatives election and referendum who could not vote on Sunday, 8 February 2026, to report their reasons for absence between 9 and 15 February 2026 by following the procedures below.
1. For those who did not vote in the House of Representatives election, eligible voters can report their reasons for absence between 9 and 15 February 2026 through the following channels.
1.1 Electronically via the Election Commission's website at www.ect.go.th, the Department of Provincial Administration's website at https://boraservices.bora.dopa.go.th/election/abscausess/, the “Thang Rat” app, the Smart Vote app, or by typing “reporting House of Representatives election absence” on mobile or computer systems.
1.2 Submit in person to the district registrar or local registrar.
1.3 Send by registered mail.
1.4 Authorize another person to submit on your behalf in writing.
For submissions under 1.2 to 1.4, Form S.S. 1/8 (attached document) or a written letter must be submitted, specifying the national ID number, registered address, and reason for absence from voting in the House of Representatives election.
If an eligible voter fails to vote in the House of Representatives election and does not report a valid reason, or reports an unjustified reason, they will face the following restrictions.
(1) Filing an objection petition against the election of a House of Representatives member.
(2) Running for election as a member of the House of Representatives, local council member, local executive, or member of the Senate.
(3) Running for the positions of village headman or subdistrict headman under the local administrative law.
(4) Holding political official positions under the law on political officials and parliamentary political officials under the law governing parliamentary officials.
(5) Serving as deputy local executive, secretary to local executive, assistant secretary to local executive, chairman or advisor to the local executive, or member of the advisory committee to the local executive under the law on the establishment of local administrative organizations.
For those who did not vote in the referendum, eligible voters can report their reasons for absence between 9 and 15 February 2026 through the following channels.
2.1 Electronically via the Election Commission's website www.ect.go.th, the Department of Provincial Administration's website https://boraservices.bora.dopa.go.th/election/abscausess/, the “Thang Rat” app, the Smart Vote app, or by typing “reporting referendum voting absence” on mobile or computer systems.
2.2 Submit in person.
2.3 Authorize another person to submit on your behalf in writing.
2.4 Send by registered mail.
For submissions under 2.2 to 2.4, Form A.S. 2/2 (attached document) or a written letter must be submitted, specifying the national ID number, registered address, and reason for absence from referendum voting.
If an eligible voter fails to vote in the referendum and does not report a valid reason, they will face the following restrictions.
(1) Running for election as a member of the House of Representatives, local council member, local executive, or member of the Senate.
(2) Running for the positions of village headman or subdistrict headman under the local administrative law.
(3) Signing a petition to the Cabinet under Section 9 (5) (which states that citizens may petition the Cabinet for approval to hold a referendum under the criteria and procedures set by the Election Commission).
(4) Holding political official positions under the law on political officials and parliamentary political officials under the law governing parliamentary officials.
(5) Serving as deputy local executive, secretary to local executive, assistant secretary to local executive, chairman or advisor to the local executive, or member of the advisory committee to the local executive under the law on the establishment of local administrative organizations.
“Restrictions on rights for those eligible voters absent from the House of Representatives election and referendum apply for a period of two years from the date of the missed voting. If the individual misses voting again in a subsequent election, the restriction period resets from the new missed voting date, and any remaining time from the previous restriction is terminated,” Ms. Airin emphasized.