Election Official Caught Attempting to Stuff 14 Ballots in Northern Thailand

BANGKOK — In February 2026, a polling official was detained for questioning after being caught with 14 ballot papers while attempting to cast votes at a polling station in northern Thailand's Phayao province, officials reported. The incident took place at Polling Station No. 6 in Village 4 of Tha Wang Thong subdistrict, where the station's presiding officer alerted security personnel after detaining the suspect, a 35-year-old staff member identified only as Ms A. During light voter turnout, Ms A was observed placing ballots into the box while holding multiple ballot papers. The ballots included 7 green constituency-based House of Representatives ballots and 7 pink party-list House of Representatives ballots. Security officers were immediately notified and standard procedures were followed. Ms A was taken to Muang Phayao police station for questioning, where she denied all allegations and stated her intention to contest the case in court. Police temporarily released her while investigators gather evidence and consider potential formal charges under election laws. Authorities emphasized that the investigation is ongoing to ensure the election's fairness and transparency.