Likud Challenges Election Commission Ban on Real-Time Voter Data Access

Israel's Supreme Court, known as the High Court of Justice (Bagatz), is currently hearing a petition filed by the Likud party challenging a directive from the head of the Central Elections Committee, Judge Noam Solberg. The directive prohibits political parties from accessing real-time data on voters who have already cast their ballots.

Likud's attorney, Ilan Bombach, argued that the ban would cause significant harm to the party. He explained that Likud has spent years building a database of its voters and developed a specialized program to utilize turnout data on election day. The party contends that this practice is crucial for their election day operations.

However, the judges expressed skepticism regarding the legality and implications of Likud's data collection methods. Justice Yael Willner noted that such data could indirectly reveal individuals' political leanings, particularly in smaller communities. Justice Alex Stein added that real-time tracking of voters constitutes the acquisition of personal information and potentially infringes upon the right to privacy.

Furthermore, Likud argued that Judge Solberg exceeded his authority by issuing the ban unilaterally, asserting that the matter should have been decided by the full Central Elections Committee. The court appeared to support Solberg's position, with justices indicating that the committee head has the authority to set rules for party representatives at polling stations and intervene if actions are deemed unlawful.