People’s Party demands fresh election, ballot destruction amid data leak claims

People’s party leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut has called for a full re-run of last week’s general election and the destruction of ballot papers from February 8, citing serious risks to ballot secrecy after data leaks have revealed alleged weaknesses in the state’s election system.

Natthaphong, claimed yesterday that a “white hacker” exposed vulnerabilities in government computer systems, prompting authorities to close the loopholes overnight before the general election.

He said that before the fixes were made, information about voters, including polling station voter lists and identification numbers, may already have been leaked to the public or malicious actors.

He added that another concern involves ballot papers bearing barcodes.

Images of these ballots have already appeared online after election observers photographed polling officials holding up ballots during counting, making both the barcode and the selected candidate visible.

Natthaphong said that if three elements can be matched, images of ballots showing serial numbers, barcode references for specific polling units and photos of marked ballots, even a single confirmed case could prove that it is possible to identify how an individual voted.

Such a finding, he said, would refute any assurances from the Election Commission of Thailand that, while barcodes can be traced back to ballot stubs, the overall voting system remains direct and secret.

“The election process involves many people, including polling officials, media and public observers,” Natthaphong said. “Two of the three data components have already been exposed. If just one case is found, it will show that the process is neither direct nor secret.”

“Whether caused by negligence or by intentionally designing a system that allows votes to be traced back to individuals, this is a mistake that should never happen,” he said.

He said the People’s party has already filed complaints under Sections 157 and 172 of the Criminal Code with the Constitution Court criminal complaints.

According to unofficial election tallies, the People’s party finished second, behind the Bhumjaithai party, led by Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, with its combined total of constituency and party-list MPs falling sharply from the 2022 general election.

Natthaphong urged the Election Commission to acknowledge the problem and act immediately, rather than waiting for a court ruling, warning that delays increase the risk of further data extraction from ballot boxes by those with access.

He said the commission should order the immediate destruction of the February 8 ballots and organise a new election as soon as possible.

“That would be the most appropriate and responsible course of action,” he said.