Court Rejects Complaint Over Barcodes On Ballots
Thailand's Constitutional Court unanimously rejected a petition challenging the Election Commission's use of barcodes on party-list ballots, ruling the petitioner had not demonstrated direct harm or constitutional violation.
On July 1, 2025, the Constitutional Court unanimously rejected a petition filed by Nattida Nikrodhangkur seeking a ruling under Article 213 of the Constitution. The petitioner challenged the Election Commission and its office for printing barcodes on party-list parliamentary ballots, claiming this exceeded the approved budget allocation for QR codes only and violated ballot secrecy and voting rights under Articles 3, 25, and 41(3) of the Constitution.
After deliberation, the court found that the facts presented did not demonstrate that the petitioner had been directly harmed or had suffered damages from the Election Commission's actions. The court characterized the complaint as merely an expression of opinion unsupported by reasoned argument explaining how ballot secrecy had been compromised.
The court determined the petition did not conform to the criteria, procedures, and conditions outlined in the Constitutional Court Procedure Act of 2018, Articles 46(1) and 46(2), and therefore the petitioner could not proceed with a constitutional petition under Article 213.
