A campaign affiliate walks up to a young Thai voter and promises him a driver’s license for his vote. A mother with three children receives free groceries in exchange for the guarantee that she will vote for a certain candidate. A group of students is offered scholarships and another voter is promised a family vacation. For many Thais, the decision to ‘sell’ one’s vote is all too familiar.

Candidates have been buying votes in Thailand since at least 1936 when the practice was first recorded, according to King Prajadhipok’s Institute, a respected Thai organization partnering with IFES. Since then, the practice has become highly sophisticated, with a Thai government commission identifying evidence of at least 27 different forms of vote buying, said IFES consultant Catherine Barnes.

IFES launched a voter education project in July to help Thai voters understand why vote buying is dangerous to a country’s democratic development. The project took its message to schools, factories and festivals in Northeast Thailand to reach voters in time for the December 2007 parliamentary elections.

Rural Areas Vulnerable

IFES used small vehicles like this truck, outfitted with speakers, to educate Thais about the dangers of vote buying.

Vote buying includes everything from purchasing medicine and pre-paid phone cards to handing out cash. While such activities are illegal under Section 53 of the recently ratified Organic Act on the Election of Members of the House of Representatives and the Installation of Senators, vote buying persists in many rural areas of Thailand.

Citizens in Northeast Thailand are especially vulnerable because many are poor, unaware of the law and their rights, and rarely see effective government programs reach them. Confronted by immediate benefits of selling their votes, these Thais fall prey to wealthy politicians hoping to secure power through less-than-democratic means.

Election officials have difficulty substantiating vote-buying allegations, and the general population understands the extent to which it permeates Thai society. A recent poll by Assumption University of Thailand showed that more than 64 percent of those surveyed were willing to sell their vote, while almost 83 percent said they would not report vote buying to the authorities.

Long Term Impact

Vote buying inhibits candidates who respect the rule of law from effectively campaigning, leaving unscrupulous politicians in power. In addition, vote buying can delegitimize the electoral process and engender a widespread loss of confidence in the government.

To stem these detrimental effects, IFES partnered with the Population and Community Development Association, or PDA, an internationally-recognized and most diversified nongovernmental Thai organization, to educate rural communities about the importance of voting through its extensive local networks.

“Voter education or the process to change the mindset of the rural voters needs a grassroots network that builds on local relationships to work,” said PDA advisor Tanatat Puttasuwan.

The project targeted four mainly rural provinces where vote buying is prevalent. For six months, IFES and PDA worked together to reach local leaders and voters through media and a variety of activities. IFES and PDA spread the message through puppet shows, democracy youth camps and mock elections, as well as at community festivals and sporting events.
Puttasuwan said the activities aimed at the next generation of voters were particularly effective.

“We have a strong desire to see equality and honesty leading to genuine democracy. This will not happen during the first election. That is why we have been helping establish youth governments and teaching the youth those ideals,” said PDA founder Mechai Viravaidya.

IFES and PDA estimate that the voter education project reached at least 77 percent of the target population—roughly 2 to 3 million people (200,000 of whom are community leaders), and they hope to expand that reach in the future. PDA called the December 23 election “only the beginning of the change process.”

“We need determination and persistence,” said Viravaidya. “Democracy is a long road.”