BANGKOK, Thailand – Thailand’s Constitutional Court ruled on Monday that the use of barcodes and QR codes on ballots in the Feb. 8 general election was constitutional and did not violate voters’ rights. The petition, brought via the Ombudsman following complaints, questioned whether code tracking on ballots printed by the Election Commission compromised vote secrecy guaranteed by the constitution.
The court voted unanimously that QR codes used on constituency and party-list ballots were constitutional. In a separate 8-1 ruling, it also upheld the legality of barcodes printed on party-list ballots. The sole dissenting judge argued that barcodes could potentially be traced back to individual voters, breaching constitutional protections on voting privacy. The court recommended that election officials refine ballot designs and security measures for future elections to prevent fraud without using symbols that could link back to voter identities. (TNA)
