Election Commission proposes major rule changes for Israel’s next Knesset vote

Israel’s Central Elections Committee is asking the Knesset to approve a broad package of changes ahead of the 26th Knesset election, aimed at adapting the voting system to the war, the needs of evacuees, and the rapid spread of artificial intelligence in politics. The draft law was sent on Thursday evening to Knesset Constitution Committee chairman MK Simcha Rothman, and the committee says the public could face a markedly different election system if the amendments pass.

One major proposal would require clear, prominent disclosure on any campaign material that was created or substantially edited with digital tools if it depicts a person, place, event, document or object that could appear to be authentic documentation. The goal is to curb misleading AI-generated election propaganda.

Another change would expand ballot-marking options for new parties and lists not represented in the Knesset. Committee chairman Justice Noam Sohlberg wants to allow them to use three-letter ballot slips, not just one or two letters as at present, arguing that the shortage of available letters created by the large number of parties should be reduced to improve fairness and limit voter confusion.

The plan also gives special voting relief to people displaced by the security situation. They could vote using double envelopes at designated polling stations, accessible stations nationwide, or by registering an election-only address near their current residence without changing their official population registry address. The proposal also seeks to reduce election-period petitions and proceedings by authorizing Sohlberg, subject to the Constitution Committee’s approval, to set fees for requests, appeals and other filings.

Because of ongoing security threats, the draft would also let the committee chairman, after consulting the chief of staff or a representative, issue special civil-defense instructions for polling sites and other election locations during a special home-front situation. Additional amendments cover election committees, voting in nursing homes, video hearings, and emergency logistics. The Knesset must now decide whether to advance the package.