Timeline Overview of Events "Chonburi District 1" Crowd storms Election Commission office, stays overnight demanding a new vote count after discovering suspicious unsecured ballot boxes, raising concerns over transparency.
On 10 Feb 2026, a group of people from Chonburi province gathered at the square in front of Mueang Chonburi District Office, opposite the gymnasium in Bang Plasoi Subdistrict, Mueang Chonburi District. They called on the Chonburi Election Commission to recount votes for District 1 after finding irregularities with ballot boxes stored insecurely—without cable ties securing them and lacking official signatures as required by the Election Commission's regulations. When asked, officials said cable ties were out of stock. This led to demands for a recount to ease public concerns about the transparency of the election count.
Negotiations failed when the district chief and the Chonburi Election Commission director insisted they could not decide to order a recount, prompting the deputy secretary of the Election Commission to come personally to negotiate a resolution. This incident attracted public attention continuously from the evening of 9 Feb to 10 Feb 2026. The timeline can be summarized as follows.
Evening of 9 Feb Protesters gathered at the square in front of Mueang Chonburi District Office, opposite the gymnasium in Bang Plasoi Subdistrict, demanding that the Chonburi Election Commission re-examine the vote count for District 1. They cited concerns over ballot boxes being stored insecurely without cable ties and missing officials' signatures as required, fearing a lack of transparency.
8:00 PM Protesters surrounded the ballot box truck, pressuring officials not to move the boxes, and awaited explanations from authorities. Subsequently, the Election Commission moved all election materials to the gymnasium and deployed additional security to maintain order.
9:00 PM Worajak Satapornpinyo, district chief of Mueang Chonburi, summoned six protest representatives for talks and coordinated with the Chonburi Election Commission director to explain the complaint process. He confirmed a recount could not be authorized as it was beyond their jurisdiction but that the complaint had been forwarded to the central Election Commission. The process must follow protocol and an immediate recount was not possible, causing public dissatisfaction due to concerns over ballot box security.
11:30 PM Protesters continued to stay overnight, insisting on a recount to ensure transparency and demanded a clear answer on whether a recount would occur. The district chief suggested seizing the ballot boxes temporarily. Meanwhile, they were informed that the Election Commission secretary general would come personally to negotiate and explain to the crowd.
1:35 AM On 10 Feb, Police Lieutenant Chanin Noilek, deputy secretary general of the Election Commission, arrived, stating he had no authority to decide and was there only to maintain peace. He reaffirmed that reopening the ballot boxes for a recount was not allowed and that the full Election Commission meeting scheduled at 10:00 AM must make the decision.
3:15 AM Reports indicated that citizens found tally sheets from polling station 15 at Wat Klang Don Kindergarten discarded in a trash bin. They showed these to the deputy secretary general, who emphasized preserving the evidence. He said the current step was to compile evidence to submit to the seven-member full Election Commission panel for adjudication.
8:00 AM Protesters remained on site, seeking clarity about the ongoing situation. The deputy secretary general of the Election Commission also stayed at the location awaiting the Election Commission meeting.
Further updates will be provided as developments occur.