Reserve Senate Member Files Supreme Administrative Court Lawsuit Against Election Commission Over Ballot Barcodes

On February 16, 2024, Akkrawat Pongthanachalikul, a reserve Senate member, filed an electronic lawsuit against the Election Commission (EC) with the Supreme Administrative Court. He accused the EC of misconduct by printing barcodes and QR codes on MP election ballots, which violates the principles of secret voting and the constitution. The lawsuit claims that when ballot codes are scanned, they can link back to voting slips with voter signatures, potentially revealing who voted for which candidate or party. Despite the EC's explanation that these codes were for security and preventing fraud, Akkrawat argues this is not a valid justification. The lawsuit requests the court to: declare all ballots from the February 1 and 8, 2024 elections as invalid, order the destruction of ballots, prevent result certification, punish EC officials, and mandate a new election. Police Major General Thawee Sodsong supports citizens filing similar complaints.