The election observation organization Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) issued a statement today (17 February) raising serious concerns over potential infringement of ballot secrecy due to the use of barcodes and QR codes on ballot papers in the 2026 general election.

A protest took place on Sunday (15 February) at the Pathumwan Skywalk in Bangkok over transparency issues in the 8 February election, including the use of barcodes on ballot papers, which raised concerns that voter confidentiality may have been compromised.

Serious concerns have been raised by the discovery of barcodes and QR codes with unique numbers on ballot papers used in last weekend’s general election, potentially revealing how each voter cast their votes; this could lead to voiding the elections.