The Election Commission reminds those who did not participate in voting or the referendum to report their reasons for absence, emphasizing that 15 February is the final day to submit such notifications; otherwise, they may face rights restrictions.
On 14 February 2026 at 17:00, the Office of the Election Commission issued a notice reminding eligible voters who did not vote in the House of Representatives election on Sunday, 8 February 2026, as well as those registered for advance voting outside their district on Sunday, 1 February 2026 but did not vote, to report their reasons for not voting by 15 February 2026. This is the deadline for such reports. Notifications can be made through three channels: 1. Electronically via the Election Commission's website www.ect.go.th, the Department of Provincial Administration's website, the “Government Way” app, the Smart Vote app, or by typing “Report reason for House of Representatives election” or “Report reason for referendum” on mobile or computer systems.
2. Submit in person to the district registrar or local registrar along with supporting documents. 3. Send by registered mail with supporting documents. Voters may also authorize another person to submit on their behalf by providing a letter of authorization along with the necessary documents. Failure to report reasons will result in rights restrictions lasting two years from the date of the House of Representatives election or referendum.
According to reports, the rights restriction follows Section 35 of the 2018 House of Representatives Election Act, which stipulates that any eligible voter who fails to vote and does not report a valid reason, or whose reported reason is deemed invalid, will face the following restrictions:
(1) Submitting a petition to contest the House of Representatives election.
(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 administration law.
(4) Holding political office under the laws governing political officials and parliamentary political officials.
(5) Serving as deputy local executive, secretary or assistant secretary to the local executive, chairman or advisor to the local executive, or member of the local executive advisory council under the local administrative organization law.
The rights restriction lasts for two years from the date of the election in which the voter did not participate. If the individual again fails to vote in the next election, the new restriction period will start from that subsequent election date. Any remaining restriction time from the previous period will be terminated.