The Election Commission (EC) says it is ready for Bangkok's gubernatorial and council elections on Sunday and expects voter turnout to top 70%.
Samphan Saengkhamlert, director of the Bangkok election office, said the EC and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) have distributed election materials to all 50 district constituencies.
Ballots were delivered and officially stamped between June 17 and 19. The remaining task includes a final inspection and delivery of equipment to 6,628 polling stations across Bangkok in the early hours of election day.
A total of 72,908 election officials have completed training and polling rehearsals. Authorities have prepared contingency plans for possible rain, instructing district offices to set up secure tents and coordinate with the Department of Drainage and Sewerage in flood-prone areas. Electrical systems and equipment at polling stations have also been inspected.
Votes will be counted at polling stations after polls close, before they are sent to district offices and processed at City Hall.
Voter lists were announced 25 days in advance and distributed to households. Voters can check their polling stations via the Thang Rath mobile app, links on the Facebook pages of the EC's Bangkok office and the BMA's and the Department of Provincial Administration website. Maps showing routes to polling stations have also been prepared. Some polling stations have been relocated this year following a slight reduction in their number.
Mr Samphan urged voters to bring identification cards, avoid wearing clothing displaying candidate numbers, monitor weather conditions and plan their travel.
Turnout is expected to exceed the roughly 60% recorded in the previous Bangkok gubernatorial election. This time around, the BMA expects the turnout rate to hit at least 70%, among 4.4 million eligible voters.
Police meanwhile warn that businesses and members of the public must strictly comply with the election laws.
They said that offences, including vote-buying or damaging ballots, could lead to fines, imprisonment and loss of voting rights.
