Notification Required for Non-Voting in 2026 Bangkok Governor and Council Elections to Avoid Rights Restrictions

Voters in the 2026 Bangkok Governor and Council elections are warned that if they cannot vote, they must report the reason for not voting either before or after election day, including via online channels. Failure to do so may lead to a 2-year restriction of rights.

On 27 May 2026, reporters reported that the elections for Governor of Bangkok and members of the Bangkok Metropolitan Council are scheduled for Sunday, 28 June 2026, with polling hours from 08:00 to 17:00. The Election Commission (EC) has set the candidate registration period from 28 May to 1 June 2026.

For eligible voters of the Bangkok Governor and Council elections, if unable to vote on election day, they can notify their reason within 7 days before or after the election. Failure to notify may result in various restrictions as follows.

Notification of inability to vote in the Bangkok Governor and Council elections

Voters who cannot vote due to valid reasons must notify the local registrar (District Director) where they are registered in the house registration within 7 days before the election, i.e., 21–27 June 2026, or within 7 days after the election, i.e., 29 June–5 July 2026. This notification must be in writing, including the national ID number and address as shown in the house registration.

• Notify in person
• Authorize another person to submit on their behalf
• Send via registered mail
• Notify through the website www.ect.go.th or the Smart Vote application
• Viathe Department of Provincial Administration website at www.bora.dopa.go.th

Valid reasons for inability to vote include:

• Urgent business requiring travel to a remote area
• Illness preventing travel to vote
• Being disabled, handicapped, or elderly and unable to travel to vote
• Traveling abroad
• Residence located more than 100 kilometers from the polling station
• Ordered by government authorities to perform duties outside the electoral district
• Force majeure or other reasons as specified by the Election Commission

If a voter has already reported a reason but it ends before election day, the voter may still vote at their assigned polling station.

Consequences of not voting and failing to report reasons in the Bangkok Governor and Council elections include the following rights restrictions:

1. Ineligibility to run for Member of Parliament, local council member, local executive, or senator.
2. Ineligibility to run for village headman or community leader.
3. Ineligibility to initiate a recall of local council or local executive members.
4. Ineligibility to hold political government official positions or parliamentary political civil service roles.
5. Ineligibility to hold positions such as deputy local executive, local executive secretary, assistant secretary, chairperson or advisor to local executives, or related advisory committees.
6. Ineligibility to hold secretary positions to local council chairpersons or their assistants.

These rights restrictions last for two years from the date of the election in which the voter failed to participate and did not report a valid reason.