"Chris" highlights issues restricting voting rights in the BMA Council election after discovering tens of thousands of citizens missed the opportunity due to inadequate publicity, while affirming that the right to vote for the Bangkok Governor is still fully valid and operational.
At 11:30 a.m. on 28 June 2026, at the election unit of the Public Relations Department in Phaya Thai district, Mr. Chris Potranan, an MP from the Economic Party, revealed problems encountered during local elections. He stated that he was able to vote for the Bangkok Governor as usual but could not vote for the Bangkok Metropolitan Council (BMA Council) members because he had moved his household registration from Phaya Thai to Bangkok Yai district.
Mr. Chris explained that this problem was not unique to him but stemmed from the 2019 Election Commission regulation on local council or local executive elections, Section 78, which requires individuals who have moved their household registration to register at least 10 days in advance to be eligible to vote for BMA Council members in the new area. This conflicts with the 2019 Local Council or Local Executive Election Act, Section 38, which grants voting rights based on the prior household registration area, in this case, Phaya Thai.
In reality, the information publicizing that those who move household registration within Bangkok must register 10 days in advance to vote for BMA Council members is very limited. As a result, many migrants are unaware of this condition and inadvertently miss the chance to vote for BMA Council members in their new area, while also being unable to vote in their previous district.
Upon investigation, Mr. Chris found the concerning fact that thousands of people across Bangkok face the same issue.
"I want to confirm that citizens still have their normal right to vote for the Bangkok Governor. However, for the BMA Council elections, which represent local community interests, many have unintentionally lost their rights due to unclear regulations and insufficient communication," he said. Mr. Chris added.
He expressed that this case reveals unfairness and limitations in the regulations that may contradict the intention to promote full political participation by citizens. He urged the Election Commission to promptly review and amend these regulations to prevent many people from losing their right to elect local representatives closely tied to their daily lives in the future.
Click to follow Thairath's unofficial vote count report.https://www.thairath.co.th/bkkelection69