Long queues signal record-breaking voter turnout in Chiang Mai
Clear skies, pleasant weather and a more politically engaged electorate will see a rise in voter turnout in Chiang Mai for this general election, and it will retain its lead in voter turnout among provinces with at least 1 million eligible voters, officials said.
Chiang Mai Governor Nirat Pongsitthavorn and Chiang Mai election director Noppadol Suya forecast turnout will rise to 85% from 83.33% in 2019.
They based this forecast on the long queues that formed at voting stations early Sunday morning.
The northern province had the highest voter turnout among provinces with more than 1 million eligible voters in the 2019 election.
Nirat made his forecast while speaking to reporters after he cast his vote at a polling station inside Wat Chai Mongkol in Tambon Chang Klan of Muang district at 8 am. Long lines had formed before the polling station even opened.
The governor said all of the 2,605 polling stations in the province’s 10 constituencies were fully prepared for Chiang Mai’s 1.3 million voters.
“I believe Chiang Mai will remain the champion as the province with the highest voter turnout for provinces with more than 1 million voters each,” Nirat said.
Residents of the province have become increasingly politically active, the governor added.
Both he and Noppadol expect invalid ballots to constitute less than 3% of the total.
About 5% of the votes cast in Chiang Mai in the 2019 election were invalid, Noppadol said.
“This year we aim for voter turnout of 85% with invalid ballots at no more than 3% ,” the election director added.
The ballot count at all stations should be completed by 8pm, three hours after voting ends, he said.
Noppadol said the official vote count for Chiang Mai will be reported to the provincial hall by midnight or 1am Monday because some voting stations are located in remote areas.
He said 176 polling stations are located on mountains that need four-wheel-drive vehicles to transport counted ballots to the provincial hall. And some stations in Doi Tao district require that the ballots be transported by boats, which could take six hours.
Independent observers are present at all stations to prevent cheating, the election director added.
As votes are counted, results will be updated on a large LED display in front of the Chiang Mai election office for citizens to monitor in real time, Noppadol added.
