Voting law for Thai citizens….

[bamboozled]

I'm curious. My wife says she has to go back to Chiang Rai to vote tomorrow, that it is the law that one must vote and in their home province. However, this seems hard to believe. If one is out of the country during the voting dates, what could one possibly do? Or if you are busy with work/school…or if you live in Hat Yai but are from Mae Sai…you need to buy a plane ticket (no money) leave your work (no time) and go back just to vote? That seems far too difficult. Anyone have input on this?

[whatawonderfulday]

That is correct.  A policy brought in yonks ago to attempt to disenfranchise the majority of voters who are to poor to travel back to their homes in order to vote.   Goodness we can not have that can we or else the highest of the high may be thrown out of the trough

[Pockys]

Yep. All the Issan folk of bkk would need to go back to their village to vote

[lostinisaan]

21 minutes ago, Pockys said:

Yep. All the Issan folk of bkk would need to go back to their village to vote

 

   But plenty of them are not going to their village and I doubt that they'll suffer of any consequences. 

 

     BTW, is there anything they could vote for? Maybe a new rice scheme, a one Kubota for each Isaan person policy, plus a credit limit up to 10 million baht for each farmer who has more than 0.9 Rai of farmland. 

 

      

[davehowden]

They have to vote where they are registered as living, not where they were born.

 

If Issan workers register as living in BKK then that is where they vote.

[gk10002000]

well, here in the USA, if one is voting in  person in a major election, one can only vote in the local precinct one is registered in.  So if traveling on vacation, or temporarily working away from home, no vote.  However, of course there is an absentee ballot system but one has to request that in advance. I wonder how the aussies do it since they have to vote or get fined.  I assume some sort of absentee system is in place?

[heybruce]

There was a story about this in the TV Thailand News section a few weeks ago, but the search function of the "new and improved" forum doesn't work well enough to find it.  Basically the story said that very few people who live far from their home had applied (or perhaps 'registered') to vote where they live.  Those that haven't done so either have to travel home to vote (very few will) or can't vote.

 

I get a sense of overwhelming apathy about the referendum.  A friend of mine stated that she will not bother to make the 30 km trip to her village to vote.

[bamboozled]

I understand you have to vote where registered, that makes sense. My wife implied that by law…one MUST vote. Therefore, one is forced to travel back to registered province or else face the consequences. If this is true, that one MUST vote, what are the consequences of not voting? Gulag, here I come?

[khwaibah]

4 hours ago, bamboozled said:

I understand you have to vote where registered, that makes sense. My wife implied that by law…one MUST vote. Therefore, one is forced to travel back to registered province or else face the consequences. If this is true, that one MUST vote, what are the consequences of not voting? Gulag, here I come?

 

You have to vote where your registered.aka house book,  Voting is compulsory. Have my wife village is not voting so its seldom enforced.

 

Elections are held under universal suffrage in accordance with the 2007 Constitution; however, certain restrictions apply:

• The voter must be a national of Thailand; if not by birth, then by being a citizen for 5 years.
• They must be over 18 years old the year before the year the election is held.
• The voter must have also registered ninety days before the election at his constituency.
• Those barred from voting in House elections are: members of the sangha or clergy, those suspended from the privilege (for various reasons),^[which?] detainees under legal or court orders, and people of unsound mind or of mental infirmity.^{[clarification needed]}

[stuurman]

2 hours ago, khwaibah said:

Voting is compulsory.

 

I was wondering if voting was mandatory and asked Saksith Saiyasombut Correspondent for @channelnewsasia on Twitter. According to him voting in the referendum (unlike in a general election) isn't compulsory.

[khwaibah]

8 minutes ago, stuurman said:

 

I was wondering if voting was mandatory and asked Saksith Saiyasombut Correspondent for @channelnewsasia on Twitter. According to him voting in the referendum (unlike in a general election) isn't compulsory.

 

As I said half the wife village is not voting but the law in Thailand is what #44 says it is. Never believe what a one news agency says always find other sustainable sources.

[stuurman]

15 minutes ago, khwaibah said:

 

As I said half the wife village is not voting but the law in Thailand is what #44 says it is. Never believe what a one news agency says always find other sustainable sources.

Yes of course Wikipedia is always right and MSM are never to be trusted.

[khwaibah]

3 minutes ago, stuurman said:

Yes of course Wikipedia is always right and MSM are never to be trusted.

 

44 is.

[mamborobert]

Quick question.  Given that some  people will not bother to vote, others have no id, others cannot travel to register in time, or cannot travel to vote......is there a minimum number of eligible voters that must vote in order for the referendum to be valid anyway.

 

I mean a 51% yes vote with less than 50% voting seems like a recipe for disaster, lacks a certain legitimacy, and may reflect a greater Bangkok/Central voting block.

 

Much like the Brexit vote...is there a minimum number of voters for validity?

[khwaibah]

 Validity is what 44 says it is.  Stay tuned. Polls close at 4 PM. The system if working says results by 8 PM.

[Sparkles]

My wife just voted,said numbers were well down compared with other elections feels a lot of Thais really don't understand what they voting on and seems they are not really interested.

[Scotwight]

10 hours ago, davehowden said:

They have to vote where they are registered as living, not where they were born.

 

If Issan workers register as living in BKK then that is where they vote.

I think it is the same for the free health care.  They have to register where they live to get free health care and vote.

[Scotwight]

4 minutes ago, Sparkles said:

My wife just voted,said numbers were well down compared with other elections feels a lot of Thais really don't understand what they voting on and seems they are not really interested.

My wife said there was a big line, 20 people ahead of her early this morning.  

[NancyL]

Is 20 people really a "big line"?  That wouldn't be considered so where I come from, especially during peak voting times, like early morning.  The real question would be if there are still people waiting to vote when the polls close and if they're permitted to vote ..... or not.  http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/election_2010/8666338.stm 

[cmsally]

11am at our local polling station and hardly a soul to be seen.

[heybruce]

A friend informed me that the Walking Street has been cancelled today due to the election.  Does anyone know if this is true?

[Sparkles]

Exit polls are indicating the YES vote got up. Few more hours should confirm . Reports say voter numbers were well down.

[mamborobert]

Constitutional votes in Thailand have usually been lower turn out that normal elections.

 

Having said that the Electoral Commission is now quoted on Khaosod of not commenting on turn out numbers officially until Wednesday but still advised they" Expect 70% turnout, an which would be an increase over 2007 referendum’s 57% " under the heading "Referendum Day: Turnout Strong, Knowledge Low"

 

What will be interesting is the break down of number of votes for and against in Bangkok and Central as well as percentage of eligible voters in that area, compared with same data for CM.  This would give some indication as to who continues to hold sway here.....and likely future attention in CM from the junta.

 

If this was about "healing" we still need to see a uniform decision from the South separatist areas (Yala, Patani etc) Bangkok and Central (Dem strongholds), and the North (CM)/North East (Issan) PT strongholds.

 

A uniform strong yes vote would also seem indicate that those who voted did so contrary to the wishes of the political parties they normally support).  What was the old curse "may you live in interesting times"

 

 

[khwaibah]

Follow it on the Nation.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/politics/Charter-referendum-as-it-happens-30292326.html

[mamborobert]

Well, as I feared the great healing did not happen and we still have a fractured Thailand.

 

The three "insurgent" southern provinces voted no. Fourteen Isaan provinces voted no.

 

In the North (ie us) CM, CR,  Lamphun and Phrae all voted no.

 

Guess happiness only came back to Bangkok and Central. Still, to me, a low turn out, many unwilling, or unable, or uninformed, or uninterested did not vote. 

 

Given the the vote split and arrests and court cases to come cannot see CM getting into the Junta's good books this decade

[Trujillo]

The "go back to where you are registered" restriction is hobbling. 

 

Quote

I understand you have to vote where registered, that makes sense.

 

How on earth does that make any sense? I'm Thai, I live in Thailand, there is a vote about the Thai Constitution. Why should it matter where I am in the country to vote? 

 

It's a wonder that they got 55% of the voting populace to come out at all. 

[mamborobert]

Good to see that Bangkok with largest vote for yes also had largest block of voters nationally at 69.4% who did not read the constitution.

[NancyL]

17 minutes ago, mamborobert said:

Good to see that Bangkok with largest vote for yes also had largest block of voters nationally at 69.4% who did not read the constitution.

 

So much for the myth that Issan is full of uneducated, uninformed peasants.  Looks like those were took the time to inform themselves about the new constitution were more likely to vote against it.

[MrBrad]

With regard to eligibility of voters, voting places, voting hours, and more, isn't there a government agency that posts this information on the internet for all to see?  I wouldn't know how to begin searching for this in Thai, but surely it must be available.  Or not?