The EC plans to use the application, Ta Sapparod, which refers to “pineapple eyes”, in the slated 2017 general election to further transparency during the poll.

However, the EC will allow the public to download the application for use in this year’s planned national referendum on the charter draft, said Somchai Srisutthiyakorn, the EC commissioner responsible for administering the election. The app will be available from April 11.

Somchai said the application would allow people to notify the EC about suspected electoral fraud.

People will be able to provide the date, time and location of suspected fraudulent activity, as well as to provide video, picture or voice-recording evidence.

Users will access the application via a 13-digit identification number.

All user information would be kept confidential, Somchai said, adding that information would be verified to avoid false allegations.

Provincial offices would be notified to take action against wrongdoers, he said.

Informants would be asked if they wanted to be witnesses in corruption cases, and if so they would be protected under witness protection laws, he said.

In regards to the ballot system for the general election, Somchai said he preferred the one-ballot electoral system as he believes it would help reduce costs and eradicate the complex counting process involved in the two-ballot system.

He also supported the use of voting machines, saying they were popular in many countries including the United States, India and some European countries.

Somchai said the EC had around 200 voting machines and wanted to use them in some polling stations in major cities including Bangkok.

But, he added, the Constitution Drafting Commission had not yet agreed with their use and had not addressed voting methods in the new charter draft.