Thai voters can register for absentee voting in person, online or via app

These voters have until April 9 to register either in person at a local electoral office, by mail, through the website www.election.dopa.go.th, or through the Smart Vote mobile application. The app was developed by the Election Commission (EC).

This registration system applies to voters who will not be able to cast their ballots on election day, those living outside their registered constituency and Thais living overseas.

To be eligible, voters must be Thai nationals aged 18 and above on election day and must be registered residents of the constituency at least 90 before the election. Naturalised Thais must be holding citizenship for at least five years.

Monks, priests, inmates, and people whose electoral rights have been revoked are prohibited from casting votes.
 

Absentee voting in the constituency of residence must be registered at least 20 days before election day. Those wishing to cast absentee ballots outside of their constituency must register at least 30 days before election day.

Meanwhile, Thai embassies and consulates will announce the dates and places for absentee voting for Thai expatriates on March 29, deputy government spokesperson Rachada Dhnadirek said on Saturday.

The law requires that the dates for absentee voting must be at least seven days before election day, she said.

Rachada also said that for the upcoming election, the Foreign Ministry is preparing an Overseas Voting Monitoring System to track ballots cast by Thai expats until they are sent to Thailand in diplomatic bags. She said this monitoring system will help prevent the issue of missing absentee ballots sent from overseas, as had happened in the 2019 election.