The Constitutional Court has given court-appointed experts 15 days to submit opinions on a case challenging the use of barcodes and QR codes on election ballots.
In a statement released yesterday, the court said the case stems from a petition by the Ombudsman, who sought a ruling under Section 213 of the Constitution. The Ombudsman said it had received 21 complaints about the Election Commission’s conduct in organising the Feb 8 general election for members of the House of Representatives.
The complaints focus on the design and printing of ballots that included barcode and QR code elements. Petitioners argued that these features could allow voter identities and choices to be traced, undermining ballot secrecy and potentially violating constitutional provisions.
Separately, Kongdecha Chairat, a private individual, submitted a petition on April 6 seeking to introduce additional information into the case. He said he had also filed a lawsuit against the respondents with the Supreme Administrative Court (case No F.46/2569) and challenged the Constitutional Court’s decision to accept the Ombudsman’s petition.
Mr Kongdecha also submitted the evidence, along with a separate request to amend an earlier petition dated March 13. The Constitutional Court ruled that Mr Kongdecha is not a petitioner in the case and therefore lacks standing to file additional requests. It unanimously dismissed his petition. However, to aid its deliberations, the court has ordered expert witnesses to submit their opinions within 15 days of receiving official notice.