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Lawyer Sues Election Commission Over Ballot Design; Cites 2006 Ruling

Lawyer Sues Election Commission Over Ballot Design; Cites 2006 Ruling

Thairath•Politics•1d ago

Reader Briefing

Lawyer Naraset Na Nong-Tum files a lawsuit against the Election Commission's order for ballot design and usage, seeking temporary protection and arguing it violates election transparency principles established in 2006 and 2006 court rulings.

  • •Lawyer Naraset Na Nong-Tum filed a lawsuit with the Central Administrative Court against the Election Commission (EC).
  • •The lawsuit challenges the EC's order to design and use ballots for the 2026 election, alleging it is unlawful.
  • •The lawyer requests temporary protection to suspend the official announcement of election results.
  • •The case cites precedents from two 2006 court rulings concerning election secrecy and transparency.
  • •The suit argues that ballots with traceable elements violate the constitutional right to secret voting.

Overview

  • •At 1:00 PM on February 16, 2026, Naraset Na Nong-Tum spoke at the Administrative Court.
  • •Naraset Na Nong-Tum filed a lawsuit with the Central Administrative Court against the EC's order.
  • •The lawsuit challenges the EC's order to design and use election ballots from 2026, deeming it unlawful and a violation of secrecy.
  • •Naraset Na Nong-Tum stated the EC's order is an administrative act, not a constitutional one, thus falling under the jurisdiction of the Central Administrative Court.
  • •The case references Central Administrative Court ruling No. 607-608/2006, which declared ballots enabling traceability and compromising election secrecy as illegal.
  • •The case also references Constitutional Court ruling No. 9/2006, which clarified that the mere possibility of discovering voting choices renders an election non-secret and potentially void.
  • •Naraset Na Nong-Tum requested temporary protection to suspend the official announcement of the election results.
  • •The Central Administrative Court may seek further factual investigation into the ballot designs, with IT experts prepared to testify.

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Source: Thairath (Original)

Key Quotes

Naraset Na Nong-Tum
"“The EC's order to design ballots with barcodes or QR codes traceable to the counterfoil and voters, making elections not secret, violates the constitution and election law. If the court rules the order illegal, using ballots from that order makes the election illegal.”"
“คำสั่ง กกต. ที่ให้ออกแบบบัตรเลือกตั้งที่มีบาร์โค้ด หรือ QR code ที่สามารถสืบย้อนหลังไปถึงต้นขั้วและผู้มีสิทธิเลือกตั้ง อันจะทำให้การเลือกตั้งไม่เป็นความลับ อันขัดต่อรัฐธรรมนูญและกฎหมายการเลือกตั้ง หากศาลตัดสินให้คำสั่งดังกล่าวไม่ชอบด้วยกฎหมาย การนำบัตรเลือกตั้งภายใต้คำสั่งที่ไม่ชอบกฎหมายดังกล่าวไปใช้เลือกตั้ง ย่อมทำให้การเลือกตั้งไม่ชอบด้วยกฎหมายเช่นเดียวกัน”
Naraset Na Nong-Tum
"“The Central Administrative Court ruled in case No. 607-608/2006 that if an election vote can be easily predicted who a person voted for, the election is not secret.”"
“ศาลปกครองกลางเคยมีคำพิพากษาคดีหมายเลขแดงที่ 607-608/2006 วินิจฉัยไว้ว่า หากการลงคะแนนเสียงเลือกตั้งนั้นสามารถคาดเดาได้โดยง่ายว่าผู้นั้นได้ทำเครื่องหมายกากบาทเลือกผู้ใด ย่อมทำให้การเลือกตั้งดังกล่าวไม่เป็นความลับ”

Key Entities

Person

Naraset(นรเศรษฐ์)
Lawyer representing the Lawyers for Human Rights Center who filed a lawsuit against the Election Commission regarding ballot design.

Organization

Election Commission (EC)(กกต.)ℹ️
The state body responsible for overseeing elections in Thailand, whose ballot design order is being challenged in court.
Lawyers for Human Rights Center(ศูนย์ทนายความเพื่อสิทธิมนุษยชน)
The legal center where Naraset Na Nong-Tum is a lawyer, representing his legal action against the Election Commission.

Place

Central Administrative Court(ศาลปกครองกลาง)ℹ️
The judicial body hearing the lawsuit filed by Naraset Na Nong-Tum against the Election Commission's order on ballot design.

Law

2026 Election Ballots(บัตรเลือกตั้ง 2026)
The specific election ballots designed and ordered for use by the Election Commission in the 2026 election, which are the subject of the lawsuit.
Regulation of the Election Commission on the Election of Members of Parliament B.E. 2023(ระเบียบคณะกรรมการการเลือกตั้งว่าด้วยการเลือกตั้งสมาชิกสภาผู้แทนราษฎร พ.ศ. 2023)
The regulation cited by the Election Commission as the basis for their order on election ballot design and usage.
Central Administrative Court Ruling No. Red Case 607-608/2006(คำพิพากษาศาลปกครองกลาง คดีหมายเลขแดงที่ 607-608/2006)
A previous court ruling from 2006 that serves as a precedent for the current lawsuit concerning election secrecy and traceable ballots.
Constitutional Court Ruling No. 9/2006(คำวินิจฉัยศาลรัฐธรรมนูญที่ 9/2006)
A constitutional court ruling from 2006 that established that the possibility of discovering voting choices compromises election secrecy.