Vote62

Monitoring Thai Elections with Citizen Engagement

Active

Bangkok, Thailand

Open source: Yes

**Vote62** enables Thai citizens to directly contribute to the health of their democracy through action. It is the first citizen-sourced project for independent Parallel Vote Tabulation (PVT) and electoral evaluation in Thailand. Vote62 was originally created by [Opendream](https://www.opendream.co.th/) and launched in partnership with Thai NGOs, media groups, social enterprises, and civic organizations prior to the 2019 General Election. Thailand's electoral process has experienced its share of democratic backsliding. In 2019, two opposition parties were dissolved under dubious conditions, the military junta re-wrote the constitution to give its party an unfair advantage, and the general election was managed by a junta-appointed election commission. We built Vote62 to provide much needed transparency for Thailand's democracy. Our solution is a digital tool that engages with local citizens to strengthen Thailand's democracy through: 1. Results: Statistically significant independent vote counting 2. Process: Evaluation and monitoring of the voting process at polling stations 3. Technology: Sharing election outcomes publicly in real time Vote62 can provide independently verified results for elections (outside of inaccurate media polling and the official Election Commission), detect electoral anomalies (both quantitative and qualitative), and provide a statistically significant safeguard for Thailand's democracy. We are currently upgrading Vote62 to extend coverage for Thailand's Local Elections in 2020-2021.