EC explains why it needs 5m ‘extra’ ballots

All 100,000 polling places need spare, but printing ballots in bound sets of 20 increases the number.

Security officers stand guard at a Thailand Post warehouse where ballots are being readied for nationwide distribution on Monday. (Photo: Varuth Hirunyatheb)
At a Thailand Post inventory where votes are being prepared for global transmission on Monday, security personnel are on duty. ( Image: Hirunyatheb Varuth )

The Election Commission ( EC ) explained why it needs nearly 5 million additional votes on Friday, stating that the required number is increased by the fact that ballots are typically distributed in bound sets of 20.

According to EC secretary-general Sawaeng Boonmee in a Facebook post, special vote must be kept as spare at all 100,000 polling places across the nation.

On May 14, 52.23 million men will have the option to vote, and 2.86 million bound set of 20 votes each have been printed with 57.2 million votes.

So, Mr. Sawaeng stated that the number of printed ballots treated as extra votes is 4.96 million.

Each of the 100,000 voting places is to receive a single group of 20 ballots, with 2 million additional votes being kept for this purpose out of an additional 4.96 million.

Each of the 100,000 polling places may receive another selection of 20 ballots particularly for the station committee members, whose number typically ranges from nine to fifteen depending on the number of voters registered at a place.

The remaining give ballots will be kept for use in case of emergency, such as for the 94 Vietnamese voters who might not be able to complete their expand voting in Sudan in the event of a riot.” Another 900,000 or now shall be used for these two above-mentioned factors both in country and abroad ,” he said.

When these citizens return to Thailand and cast their ballots on May 14 rather than May 14, they may do so with a extra ballot.