Bowornsak defends the Election Commission's use of barcodes on ballots to prevent election fraud by distinguishing counterfeit ballots from legitimate ones. He states that any new election must be conducted honestly and fairly only.
On 20 February 2026 at 16:15, reporters reported that Bowornsak Uwanno, Deputy Prime Minister, posted on his personal Facebook regarding ballots with QR codes and barcodes. He summarized that many experts in Thailand have widely given their opinions, but he is not an expert and does not trust any of them. He trusts the Buddha’s teaching of the Kalama Sutta, which says not to believe rumors or logic blindly but to trust only after careful consideration with wisdom. Regarding QR codes and barcodes on ballots, many experts claim this violates Section 85 of the 2017 Constitution, which mandates that elections for MPs be conducted by direct and secret ballots. Some experts exaggerate, saying “secret” means secret from the entire world, meaning no one at all can know. Having taught constitutional and public law for 40 years, he points out that past elections were open, with voters raising their hands. Later, Australia became the first country to implement secret ballots in 1850, followed by England in 1872 and the United States in 1884 and 1891, establishing a global standard to protect voter freedom and independence from fear or intimidation by candidates and parties. However, intense political competition can lead candidates to use any means to win. For example, in the 1957 election, the Seri Manangkhasila Party won by placing their own marked ballots into the ballot box, which led to the term “fire cards.” This is why the Election Commission decided to add QR codes and barcodes on ballots to separate counterfeit votes from legitimate ones.
Bowornsak said that many countries that pioneered secret ballots also use QR codes and barcodes; some still do today, though debates have led some countries to discontinue their use. However, no country has ever annulled an election because of QR codes or barcodes. According to the Thai Constitution, elections can be annulled nationwide only if they are conducted dishonestly and unfairly—that is, if fraud occurs across the entire country, necessitating a new election. The Constitutional Court has ruled elections unconstitutional twice: once in 2006 when polling booths allowed others to see voters’ choices, violating secrecy, and again in 2014 when elections could not be held simultaneously in 28 constituencies nationwide. He paused the discussion there and said on 21 February he would talk more about secret ballots and the problems with QR codes and barcodes. He believes thoughtful, neutral readers will consider his post carefully to decide whether the views are reasonable and knowledge-based or just baseless opinions. As for the tour groups wearing colored shirts, firmly attached to their preferred colors, he welcomes them to come and even offers parking space for their buses.