Israel's Supreme Court Blocks Real-Time Voter Identity Reporting by Parties

Israel's High Court of Justice on Thursday overturned a decision by the Central Elections Committee, ruling that political parties will not be permitted to report on the identities of voters during election day. The court stated that such reporting allows parties to identify potential voters who have not yet cast their ballots and to encourage them to vote through various means.

The judges determined that this practice is illegal due to a lack of legal authorization and a violation of privacy rights. The Central Elections Committee, they ruled, is not authorized to permit party representatives at polling stations to engage in this practice without explicit legal grounds.

The decision came after the High Court heard a petition against the Central Elections Committee's earlier approval of the practice. The committee had previously authorized party representatives to provide real-time updates on who had voted and who had not, a decision that had been approved by a majority of 19 to 11, including the committee's chairman, Judge Noam Sohlberg.

This reversal has drawn sharp criticism from members of the ruling coalition. The Likud party issued a statement calling the ruling a "deliberate political blow" to right-wing parties' ability to mobilize voters, claiming it endangers democracy and that the court is acting as a political player to harm the right-wing bloc. They also suggested the court's decision is influenced by the upcoming government's need to appoint ten new Supreme Court justices.

Other coalition members echoed these sentiments. Yariv Levin stated that the court is "changing the rules of the game mid-game" to prevent the government from completing its judicial reform and to suppress voter turnout. The Religious Zionism party also criticized the ruling, asserting it was designed to hinder right-wing parties' ability to get supporters to the polls and to undermine right-wing rule through "blatant intervention" in the election process.