2 million sign up to vote in advance

More than 2 million eligible voters have registered for advance voting for the July 3 poll outside of their constituencies.

Yesterday was the last day for voters who wanted to register to vote in advance outside their constituencies, and also for Thais living overseas to register for advance voting.
Wanchai Jaikusol, deputy chief of the Election Commission's election administration department, said a total of 2.3 million voters registered to vote outside their constituencies.
The EC will hold advance voting on June 26 for those who cannot go to vote on July 3, both inside and outside their constituencies.
Voters who want to vote in advance inside their constituencies can register at district offices between June 13-17.
Thais living overseas can cast their vote at embassies and consulates worldwide between June 12-26.
EC secretary-general Suthiphon Thaveechaiyagarn said yesterday a total of 32 party list candidates from 16 parties had been disqualified for various reasons _ from not voting in previous elections, going bankrupt and having been released from jail for less than five years.
Most of them were from small parties. The Sport Party of Thailand had the highest number of disqualified candidates at 11.
Yutthapong Saengsri of Pheu Thai was disqualified for not being a party member, while Phusit Muangkhuntod from Chartthaipattana Party was eliminated as he had been released from jail less than five years earlier.
Disqualified candidates can appeal to the Supreme Court up until June 9.
Meanwhile, Pol Maj Gen Pongsapat Pongcharoen, adviser to the Royal Thai Police Office and head of election security, said vandals had damaged 546 campaign billboards nationwide.
The largest number, 196, were in the central provinces under the jurisdiction of Provincial Police Region 1 while 88 of them were in Bangkok.
Pol Maj Gen Pongsapat said 183 candidates, many of them in the Northeast, had asked for police protection.