A WEB

Putting People’s Safety First (Election Commission of Thailand)

On 28 March 2021, Thailand held elections to select mayors and members of local municipal governments. These were the second election since the pandemic; the first was the provincial elections held on 20 December 2020. The Election Commission of Thailand managed these elections with safety and precautionary measures. To share their new changes in the election and election management, the A-WEB Secretariat reached out to the Election Commission of Thailand for a special interview.

▶Question: Which election(s) were held in 2021 in Thailand?

▶Answer: The municipal elections were held in Thailand on 28 March 2021. Held across 2,472 municipalities nationwide, the election resulted in 66.95% voter turnout: 12,851,612 voters out of 19,196,850.

▶Question: How did COVID-19 change the election process and election management? 

▶Answer: We have adopted new measures to ensure the safety of people involved in the election during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some procedures are as follows:

 · Poll workers are required to wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) at polling stations. 

 · Voters must wear a face mask from home and will undergo temperature checks before entering polling stations. 

 · If the voters’ temperature is lower than 37.5°C, they may proceed to a regular polling area. However, if their temperature exceeds 37.5°C, they are required to vote at the special polling area with the assistance of the Chief of the Committee of the Polling Station.

 · It is compulsory that all voters keep their social distance and maintain 1.5 - 2 meters between individuals during each step.

 · Hand sanitizers are provided at polling stations, and voters are obliged to wash their hands several times during the voting process.

 · All equipment will be sanitized by the Committee of the Polling Station after every time uses by voters.  

There are other modifications we have introduced in the election process during the pandemic of COVID-19. Some of those changes are:

 · Re-designing the internal layout of polling stations to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

 · Allowing campaigning under the prevention measures of the spread of COVID-19 as instructed by each Provincial Centre of Disease Control.

 · Reducing a maximum voter capacity of a polling station from 1000:1 to 600:1

 · Using social media and other online platforms for voter outreach 

The A-WEB Secretariat appreciates the Election Commission of Thailand for sharing the special measures they have taken under the pandemic situation. The Secretariat will continue to conduct these interviews so that A-WEB members may share what they have introduced to cope with the pandemic in election management.