Most claim no intent to destroy vote paper
Incidents of people tearing ballot papers were reported in several provinces, but violators, most of whom were elderly and had health issues, insisted they had no intention to destroy the papers.
The Royal Thai Police said yesterday after polls closed that the police’s election coordination centre had received reports that about 20 voters nationwide tore up their ballot papers.
In Songkhla’s Hat Yai, a 76-year-old retiree tore a green ballot, which was for the party-list system, into two pieces because she did not see a purple one and thought only one ballot was used.
The incident came to officials’ attention when the woman, who claimed to have a problem with her eyesight, brought the two pieces to officials to ask what to do next. She was handed over to police and faces a charge of violating the election law.
In Phuket’s Thalang district, a 77-year-old man tore his marked ballot papers because he thought he was supposed to. His relatives told police the man was being treated for ischemic stroke and had experienced some memory loss.
He was initially charged with damaging the ballot and his family was told to bring medical proof of illness.
The northeastern province of Udon Thani reported two cases of ballot paper tearing.
The first incident involved an 84-year-old man who tore the ballot paper for the party-list system at a polling station in Nong Wua So district.
The man, who reportedly had Alzheimer’s disease, told poll officials that he thought he had lost the purple ballot, so he tore the green ballot paper into two pieces so he had two separate ballots to drop in the two ballot boxes.
above An elderly woman braves the rain to vote in tambon Saeng Rung, in Trat’s Khao Saming district. Heavy rain came down shortly before voting began yesterday. JAKKRIT WAEWKRAIHONG
In Kut Chap district, a 61-year-old man tore a purple ballot paper out of frustration because he could not find the number he wanted to vote.
He walked up to poll officials for a new ballot and was told what he did was illegal. The voter told police that he mixed up the constituency and party-list ballots and that he was unaware that tearing the ballot paper was against the law.
Samut Prakan also reported two cases of ballot-paper tearing by an 87-year-old woman and an 83-year-old man at two voting stations.
Both reportedly had Alzheimer’s disease and were found to have damaged the papers unintentionally.
In Krabi’s Muang district, a 21-year-old man, who claimed to be a first-time voter, tore both papers after marking them, dropped the parts that were marked in ballot boxes and kept the rest. In Phrae’s Sung Men district, officials say a drunk voter fell in the polling booth and damaged a ballot paper.