The Thai Consulate-General in Los Angeles has sent its first batch of cast overseas ballots back to Thailand. The Department of Consular Affairs has expressed confidence all ballots will arrive in Thailand in time for the vote tally on May 14. This is a significant milestone for the Thai election, as it marks the first time that Thai citizens living abroad can vote in a national election.
The consulate officials in Los Angeles counted the ballots and sorted them into diplomatic pouches. The first shipment consisted of 1,406 sets of ballots. The ballots had been received by post, and the documents accompanying them were inspected before the consulate general registered each voter who exercised their right to vote. The ballots were then sorted and shipped to the 400 electoral districts in Thailand.
The Thai consulate general in LA allowed the Thai press to observe the ballot counting and shipping procedure for the sake of transparency. Consulate officials said it had emphasized to overseas voters to send their ballots to the consulate general as soon as possible, even if it passes beyond the May 2 deadline. The consulate general in LA is responsible for ballots cast from Thais in 13 Western US states, and another four batches of ballots will be shipped from here to Thailand early this month.
The Department of Consular Affairs Director-General, Rooge Thammongkol, disclosed that overseas ballots from some localities have already arrived in Thailand. These include ballots from the Thai embassies in Prague, Kathmandu, and Kuwait, and the Thai consulate generals in LA and Xian, China. He expressed confidence that all overseas ballots would arrive in Thailand by May 12.
This year’s election is the first to be held under the new constitution, which was approved in a referendum in August 2022. The election will determine the composition of Thailand’s 500-member House of Representatives, with the winning party’s leader becoming the country’s next prime minister.
