Israel's Supreme Court Bans Parties from Tracking Voters in Real-Time

Israel's High Court of Justice on Thursday overturned a decision by the Central Elections Committee that had permitted party representatives at polling stations to relay real-time information about voters who had cast their ballots. The court ruled that without explicit legal authorization, party representatives are not permitted to share data on whether an individual has voted or not.

The ruling aligns with the stance of the Central Elections Committee chairman, Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg, who had previously determined that transmitting such information violated voter privacy. The court's decision came in response to petitions concerning the common practice where party agents at polling stations inform their headquarters about voters who have already participated, enabling parties to identify and encourage potential supporters to vote.

The judges, led by Justice Yael Vilner and joined by Justices Alex Stein and Khaled Kabub, found the practice illegal due to the lack of statutory basis and the infringement on the right to privacy, also citing a violation of the Privacy Protection Law. The court further stated that the Central Elections Committee itself lacked the authority to permit this practice without clear legislative backing.

This decision reverses the committee's September 6 resolution, which had narrowly passed, allowing the real-time data transfer. Sohlberg had initially ruled that the information accessed by party representatives was for election integrity oversight, not for partisan use in voter mobilization. While prohibiting individual voter tracking, the court noted that general voting turnout data for each polling station could still be published equitably for all lists, without revealing individual identities.

The Movement for Quality of Government, which petitioned the court, welcomed the ruling, stating that information obtained during polling station duties should not be used for citizen tracking or pressure. They emphasized that the decision protects voter privacy and the right to free choice, and pledged to continue working to safeguard election integrity.