Page 19 - kpiebook63011

19

Many political parties rely heavily on online media, both Facebook and Line, and

consider these platforms as part of the election campaign, used for coordinating and distributing
information to the local network of supporters or to inform the public about the mission

or schedule for the election campaign. However, personal community visits, attendance at
important religious or cultural events, announcements using motor vehicles, campaign signs,

the delivery of speeches in the area, and distribution of brochures for self-introduction in
markets are still the most effective campaigning activities that respond to the nature of Chiang

Mai and the community culture.

Patronage and vote canvasser systems are found to be necessary and vital for the
election. Pheu Thai Party maintains extensive relationships with political networks and local

leaders, which viewed as giving the party an advantage over other political parties. The Future
Forward Party receives open support from groups of young people or first-time voters, who

play the role of party supporters as cyber campaigners, ready to present and support the
party and their favorite party leader via online platforms. As for the Palang Pracharat Party,

mechanisms of government agencies and community leaders take the role of supporters in
the area. Local political groups and local politicians are of the opinion that the nature of vote

canvassers in this election has evolved to be quite different from in previous elections because
the vote canvassers now may come from various groups of people, not just local leaders. The

evolved campaigners may be women’s groups, youth groups, or outsiders assigned by parties
to work in communities. It is natural that, for many newly-formed political parties, the vote

canvasser system cannot be easily established or promptly exercised. To address this issue,
a new method is chosen. Parties with weak campaigner systems persuade or buy the help of

other parties’ local vote canvassers to campaign. Local leaders are persuaded, through state
mechanisms and policies, to support candidates. Vote buying can still be identified, both in

terms of offers of money and promises of benefits through policies. Vote buying is not the
sole factor that enables a political party to win the election as was the case in the past, but it

has become the basic guarantee or one of many factors that will prevent the candidates from
losing the election. This study found that the meaning of vote buying has changed as it cannot

be viewed only in monetary terms in the election. The meaning of vote buying should include
all the patterns, methods, and policies that exhibit a tendency to offer benefits in exchange

for votes at the time of the election, which affect people’s voting behavior.