The Pop Chan Party has assigned Dr. Vayo to collect data and plans to sue the Election Commission and its Secretary-General for violating Section 157 over the barcode placed on election ballots. They highlight this as a loophole that could create political advantages or disadvantages, impacting the next election.
On 14 Feb 2026 GMT+7, Mr. Parit Watcharasinthu, spokesperson for the Pop Chan Party, addressed the issue of barcodes on ballots that can theoretically trace the origin of each ballot. He said that yesterday, the Election Commission clearly concluded that the barcode can identify the voter in theory. This is a major issue because voting is not secret as society understands it. The key point is not whether it is easy or difficult to trace who voted for whom, but whether anyone can access the identity linked to that ballot. This creates a huge loophole, allowing political parties to check who voted for whom, such as by using money power or coercion, forcing voters to report their ballot numbers to party agents. He emphasized that no matter how securely the data is stored, if the numbers are accessible, it poses a risk. Moreover, if there is corruption within the Election Commission, they could photograph these ballot origins and leak them.
Mr. Parit stated that although the Election Commission claims the barcode is for security purposes, its presence opens a large loophole that compromises election integrity and fairness, posing a threat to voters. Therefore, having a barcode on ballots could affect future elections. If this data leaks, it would reveal which parties people voted for, influencing elections by creating political advantages or disadvantages.
The Pop Chan Party confirmed that their investigation is not aimed at changing election results but at protecting voters' rights. They want officials who intentionally commit fraud to be held legally accountable. Accordingly, they have assigned Dr. Vayo Aswarungreung, Deputy Head of the Party’s Legal Division, to gather facts and file a petition to the Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct against the Election Commission and its Secretary-General under Section 157 for dereliction of duty.