Supreme Court Blocks Election Committee's Voter Data Sharing Decision

Israel's Supreme Court on Thursday overturned a decision by the Central Elections Committee that would have allowed parties to receive real-time information on citizens who voted. The judges ruled that sharing the names of voters infringes on privacy rights and is illegal, stating there is no legal basis for such a practice.

The ruling, primarily authored by Justice Yael Vilner and joined by Justices Alex Stein and Khaled Kabub, declared that the long-standing practice of transmitting voter data to party representatives at polling stations is prohibited. The court emphasized that the act of voting, or choosing not to vote, reveals an individual's political views and is therefore considered sensitive information.

Just two weeks prior, the Central Elections Committee, with a coalition majority, had reversed a ruling by Judge Noam Solberg that sought to prevent the use of reporting systems from polling stations. The committee had approved parties' use of applications like 'Elect' to report on voters.

MK Simcha Rothman commented on the ruling, suggesting that searching one's phone is less of a privacy violation than the established practice of reporting voter turnout. Attorney Ilan Bombach, representing the Likud party in the appeal, argued that the prohibition would "destroy the election" for his party, which relies on its voter database and dedicated software to track participation.