Bangkok: Chris Potranan has been disqualified from voting for Bangkok Metropolitan Council members after moving his domicile less than a year ago. He has raised concerns that the Election Commission's regulations create a burden and restrict citizens' rights and is preparing to file a case with the Administrative Court if the issue is not resolved.
According to Thai News Agency, Mr. Chris Potrananthan, chairman of the Economic Party and a party-list MP, revealed after casting his vote in the Bangkok gubernatorial election that he was only eligible to vote for the Bangkok governor, but not for members of the Bangkok Metropolitan Council. Mr. Chris stated that before going to vote, he checked his eligibility on the Election Commission's (EC) website and found that he was eligible to vote in Bangkok Yai district. Upon arriving at the polling station, he discovered that he could only vote for the Bangkok Governor.
After inquiring with officials, he was explained that because his domicile registration had not been in Bangkok Yai for a full year, he had to vote in the Bangkok Metropolitan Council (BMA) election in his original district, Phaya Thai. According to the law, if one has moved their domicile within the past year, they must vote in their original district. However, when he went to polling station number 18 in Phaya Thai, his name was not found on the voter registration list. The head of the administrative department informed him that although the law allows for voting in the original district, eligible voters must register at least 10 days in advance, according to the EC's regulations on local council elections of 2019.
Mr. Chris considers this unfair, as the regulation contradicts the law. He believes that many thousands of other Bangkok residents have been denied voting rights in the same way, despite public awareness campaigns. He argues that this regulation needs to be amended. If someone moves their household registration to a new location and loses their voting rights there, their voting rights in their old location should still remain. It shouldn't be an added burden of registration for citizens like this.
Following this, Mr. Chris intends to submit a memorandum to the Phaya Thai District Administrative Office stating that he did not exercise his right to vote in the Bangkok Metropolitan Council election, to emphasize that it is not his fault. He believes this regulation is problematic and may take the matter to the Administrative Court, arguing that it unreasonably restricts rights and imposes an undue burden on citizens. If the Administrative Court rules that this regulation is indeed problematic, it should have the right to revoke it. However, he must also appeal to the Election Commission (EC). If the EC can resolve the issue, then he won't need to file a case with the Administrative Court.