EC rejects Chon Buri 1 recount, orders re-votes at 3 polling stations

EC: No grounds for recount in Chon Buri Constituency 1

The Election Commission (EC) said it would not accept the complaints seeking to overturn the vote count in Chon Buri’s Constituency 1, concluding there was no credible evidence of an unfair poll or incorrect counting and therefore no legal basis for a recount. However, it exercised its authority under Section 121 to order new voting at three polling stations—one in Bangkok, one in Nan, and one in Udon Thani—due to force majeure and operational errors.

The EC held a press briefing at its office on the parliamentary election and referendum at 5pm on Thursday (February 12). The briefing was led by Narong Klunwarin, Chairman of the EC, together with Narong Rakroi, Election Commissioner, Sawang Boonmee, the EC Secretary-General, and deputy secretary-generals Karnchit Charoen-in and Sub-Lieutenant Phasakorn Siripakdayaporn.

Sub-Lieutenant Phasakorn said the dispute in Chon Buri Constituency 1 arose during the ballot-box consolidation stage after counting had finished. After each polling station completes counting, the polling station committee submits the official count report and ballot boxes to a designated district EC location. Once receipt is confirmed, officials consolidate materials by cutting cable ties, combining documents and ballot packets into fewer boxes, sorting paperwork, and forwarding everything to the provincial EC office.

He said observers at the consolidation site—at a municipal gym in Constituency 1—called for a recount. The EC said a recount can be ordered only under legally defined circumstances, so it assigned Karnchit to establish the facts first, including whether objections had been raised during voting or counting, before deciding whether a recount or a new election should be ordered.

Karnchit said there were protesters at the site and 10 petitioners. The petitions raised three issues: (1) a power outage at a polling station, (2) an alleged mismatch between voter turnout and the number of ballot papers, and (3) claims that vote counting was incorrect. He said six people gave statements, but all said they did not witness the alleged incidents themselves.

On the power outage allegation, he said the clip cited in the complaint was not from Chon Buri and instead related to Nonthaburi. For Chon Buri Constituency 1, the EC checked with the Provincial Electricity Authority and said a power outage affected four polling units (Units 36–39) in Saensuk subdistrict for 40 minutes. Units 37–39 had already finished counting, so they were not affected. Only Unit 36 had not finished; officials paused counting and resumed once power was restored, and no objections were raised during the process.

On the alleged mismatch between voter turnout and ballot papers, he said the petition did not clearly specify which polling unit was affected, referring only to Units 11–15 at Wat Samet and claiming tabulation was unusually slow. The EC said it checked Units 11–15 and found the timing broadly similar across the units, with no irregularities identified.

On claims that ballots were misread or counted incorrectly, he said the petition again did not specify where the problem occurred. The EC said it reviewed all 160+ polling units in the constituency and found no formal objections during counting, concluding the count was conducted correctly.

EC addresses cable-tie and “documents in bin” claims

Karnchit also addressed reports that ballot boxes were not sealed with cable ties and allegations that tally documents were found in a bin.

He said the collection point had been moved from the usual community hall to the municipal gym because the former had become too cramped, while the gym allowed easier vehicle movement. Consolidation was about 90% complete, he said, with around 10% of documents still stacked at the gym when a crowd gathered, preventing vehicles from moving the remaining materials.

He said the documents had not been discarded, adding there was no rubbish bin inside the gym—only piles of documents yet to be cleared.

On cable ties seen in footage, he said these were ties already used at polling stations. During consolidation, officials must cut off the ties and collect them together. A few unused ties were described as spares left over from polling stations, not ties intended for use at the consolidation point.

Based on the fact-finding, the EC said there was no credible evidence that the election in Chon Buri Constituency 1 was not conducted honestly and fairly, or that counting was incorrect. It therefore rejected the call for a recount, citing Section 124 of the 2018 Organic Act on the Election of Members of the House of Representatives and Regulation 223 of the EC’s election rules, and said the matter should be closed.

Narong said the EC convened immediately once the issue arose but stressed decisions must be based on sufficient information. He said the EC weighed evidence from both complainants and officials, and would not risk its reputation by acting improperly. He added the EC reviewed not only the three petition points but also the broader integrity of the counting and aggregation process.

Karnchit also said a tally sheet appeared in photos because, in at least one polling unit, it was not placed inside the outer document bag when materials were packed into the ballot box after counting. As a result, when the box was opened, the sheet was not inside the bag and could be taken out—whereas it would not have been retrievable if it had been packed correctly.

EC orders re-voting at three polling stations in Bangkok and two provinces

Separately, the EC said it exercised its authority under Section 121 to order new voting due to force majeure and operational errors at three polling stations:

• Bangkok (District 15, Polling Station 9): Fresh voting ordered for constituency ballots, party-list ballots, and the referendum after heavy rain damaged ballot papers and tally-marking forms.
• Nan (Constituency 1, Polling Station 3): Fresh voting ordered only for the constituency ballot after polling officials tore a ballot across a candidate’s number, making it impossible to adjudicate.
• Udon Thani (Constituency 6, Polling Station 4): Fresh voting ordered only for the party-list ballot after polling officials tore a ballot across a party’s number.

Note: For Nan and Udon Thani, the EC ordered a complete replacement of the entire polling station committee to prevent a repeat of the errors.