Concerns have emerged that barcodes on election ballots can be traced backward and may identify voters, compromising the secrecy of voting, leading to a trending hashtag. #VoidElection on social media.
Regarding the online observations about “election ballots” which were found to contain both barcodes and QR codes. When scanned, they show a unique code, raising public worry that this code could be traced back to the voter. The Election Commission (EC) later explained that the barcodes are security measures indicating which batch and polling station the ballot belongs to, as a control measure by the EC to track the origin of the ballots, not linking them to any political party (see news: EC emphasizes thorough investigation in Chonburi; barcodes on ballots are a high-standard security measure)
However, people then noted that scanning barcodes on ballots from the same polling station, based on photos taken at the polling place, showed different numbers. It is understood these numbers match the stub of each ballot and can be tracked back to identify which booklet the ballot came from, its number, the order of the voter, matching the signature on the ballot stub, and cross-checked against the voter registration list (Form S.S.1/3) which records the order number. This might immediately reveal which candidate and party the person voted for.
This controversy led many to comment and demand the EC clarify the true purpose of these ballot barcodes.
The issue has been widely discussed on social media, sparking the trend#VoidElectionwhich topped trends on X and other platforms. Most comments expressed worries such as: uncertainty about the future and whether there will be new elections or submission to dark powers; regardless of the outcome, Thais must live with this election's results for 4 years but Thailand’s justice standards may change forever; if tracking is possible, large data sets could reveal who voted for whom and where, exposing vote-buying; it could even intimidate voters by showing knowledge of their choices; whoever accesses this barcode plus ecosystem data will have an advantage for the next two elections; calls to stop this practice; suspicions that recounts won’t change much as the issue reflects broad, systemic election fraud, with visible problems already large and unknown problems even greater.
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