Election Commission Ready to Implement Court Guidance on Ballot Codes

On September 28, 2025, at the Constitutional Court, Election Commission Secretary Sawang Boonmee gave a statement after the court ruled that barcodes and QR codes on parliamentary ballots do not violate the constitution. He said each party is doing its duty—the petitioners want to protect the public's right to direct and secret voting, while the Election Commission office will explain its reasoning and will implement the court's ruling.

The Constitutional Court issued two key recommendations: direct and secret voting, and integrity and fairness. The Election Commission will implement these guidelines. Sawang acknowledged that if public concern arises about any election procedure, the commission does not want to proceed with anything that would undermine confidence. When the public expresses concern or distrust, the Election Commission will follow the court's ruling.

When asked whether there would be changes to build public confidence, Sawang said the commission will try to achieve both principles in ballot design. He noted that before barcodes were introduced, fingerprints on ballots were already used to verify fraud, so that was never considered secret. He emphasized that fraud detection should not be confused with the principle of direct and secret voting—wrongdoers must be punished, and new technology can help prevent violations.

Regarding the commission's lawsuit against people who examined the barcodes or QR codes, Sawang said this is separate from free speech. The commission sued to protect the electoral process as part of its duty, not to defend itself. He stressed that people can exercise freedom of speech and criticism as long as it does not undermine the core of the electoral process. The commission only sued in cases where the electoral process itself was compromised, not when people analyze or criticize the commission's work.