While it is still early in the election season in the US, campaigning is running full swing in Sangkha. We are in the midst of a race for local offices (probably the closest equivalent would be city council seats, but with more prestige and less power). The election here will take place the first week of October, and the campaign blitzkrieg started three weeks ago. This is the second time that we have seen campaigns here in Thailand - the first was a re-election for a parrliament seat where vote buying and such voided the first and second elections (and there were bad rumors about the third one, too). So, being experts on the Thai electoral process, we would like to offer these words of wisdom for running a successful campaign:

1 - Plaster your city with signs. It does not matter if your sign is directly adjacent to 100 copies of itself, if it is next to 100 copies of your competitor's sign, or even if it looks exactly the same as your competitor's sign. It is also of little consequence if you cover up official highway signs, like the sign indicating the way to the bus station or the police station. Be sure that every poster you produce has your photo on it. It's best if the photo is a passport mug shot where you are wearing your government-issued uniform (everyone who is anyone wears a government uniform).

2 - Find a number and stick with it. We all know that voters are idiots and cannot possibly remember your name, so pick a number to put next to your photo on your posters, in your brochures, and probably even on your uniform while you are walking around town. It is probably wise to stick with integers, as a number like "pi" might confuse the masses. (Supplemental suggestion: some candidates find that their constituents may be confused by numbers, Thai or Arabic, so they simply put large dots next to their name to represent their number - an idea that only works with relatively small numbers.)

3 - Drive trucks around your neighborhood.  Drive LOTS of trucks around your neighborhood.  In fact, have parades of trucks drive around your neighborhood.  Each of your trucks should be equipped with the following:

4 - Be sure to take unique political stands. For example: "I'm for education," or "I'm for improvement in rural communities." You can even be a bit innovative with an eye for the future, and suggest that "I'm for a sewer in our town so that we are not drowning in our own ----," but that might be pushing the envelope too far. *

5 - Be sure to be a part of a political party with a meaningful name.  Favorites include the national party "Thai rak Thai" ("Thais love Thailand" - this is the current ruling party in parliament) and the local party "Glum rak Sangkha" ("The group that loves Sangkha").

6 - Don't bother with modern media such as TV or the radio (and the internet is right out).  These media are inefficient in getting your message to your target audience. Many locals may not have a TV or radio, and even if they do, reception is bad. Besides, you are already taking your message (or at least your music) to your target audience in a much more direct manner (See #3 above). Also, it's possible for a constituent to ignore you completely by turning off their TV, whereas they cannot ignore your 1000-Watt stereo (you are, of course, blasting your music loudly enough to be heard by the deaf, and powerfully enough to affect pacemakers).

P.S. Don't forget that your constituents may need some gas money.

* Incidentally, if you are running for a national senate seat in Thailand, taking political stands is a constitutional no-no. You are only allowed to announce your demographic data and work experience; no political stands. As far as we know, Thailand is the only country to have instituted such a law.