Bangkok EC hands out candidate and party documents, Says Feb 1 2026 advance voting is on track

Today (20 Jan, 2026) Acting Sub-Lieutenant Sampan Saengkhamlert, Director of the Bangkok Election Commission Office, state about the city's readiness for the general election and referendum. He indicated that the ECT has prepared equipment and polling sites for the February 1, 2026 election, which would take place from 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM. This includes preparing polling station trainers in each district to polling station officials in 6,353 voting stations, totalling 103,000 individuals.

For voter registration lists, candidate information for the 400 constituencies, political party information and polling station operational instructions have begun to be distributed. These documents have been posted at the entrances to all 33 polling locations in preparation for advance voting. The readiness is now deemed sufficient. Furthermore, election instructors in each constituency are receiving training to train all 6,300 voting stations at the local level, which totals around 133,000 persons.

The number of voters casting advance ballots outside their constituencies is around 53,000. Initial inspections have confirmed that the areas are ready to handle advance voters. Lt. Col. Sampan added that observation is permitted but must not disturb election officials, that zooming in on images is prohibited and that prejudiced or prejudiced reporting is strictly prohibited. He emphasised that disseminating election results during the seven-day election period is forbidden.

In addition, the Election Commission has begun putting signs promoting voting rights and offering voter amenities to avoid confusion and protect public safety, such as arranging parking to alleviate traffic congestion. Regarding suspicions of vote buying, Lt. Col. Sampan responded that he had yet to receive any information.However, he believes that with over 4,000,000 voting rights in Bangkok, allocating 7,500 baht per vote will cost more than 7.5 billion baht. Therefore, it is doubtful that any MP or political party will make an effort so much money.

Concerning complaints received through the ECT’s hotline about campaign signs impeding traffic and visibility, he has directed candidates to repair the problems and conduct periodic inspections to prevent recurrence. He has told the postal service that political party may submit candidate information forms, but only at their own expense, with a maximum spending of 1,900,000 baht.

A special rehearsal for election committee members addressing advance voting has taken place. Instructions have been provided for verifying the correct district, province, and voting code numbers. Regarding observers, whether from political parties or the general public, the standard procedure is for political parties to contact the chairman of the district election committee at least 15 days before to the election. The polling stand will then notify the appropriate authorities whether authorisation has been granted, and observation will be permitted just from the outside.

In Bangkok, where political parties compete aggressively in each constituency with at least 12 candidates, election observers, inspection teams, and fast response teams are sent to verify election results. Observers are permitted to observe voting places, but they must not disrupt or impede voters. Political parties have been asked to provide training on this. Lastly, promotional signs showcasing the 57 candidates and political parties are being developed for use at polling sites. Currently, five constituencies are producing these signs promoting , together with sample ballot for both the parliamentary and referendum elections, to prevent voter confusion, cut incorrect ballots, and ensure a quality voting process.

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Source of material: official media /online news