Supreme Court Blocks Real-Time Voter Data for Parties

Israel's Supreme Court has overturned a decision by the Central Elections Committee that allowed political parties to receive real-time updates on who had voted on election day. Political commentator Amit Segal described the ruling as "bad news for coalition parties."

The court's decision prohibits party representatives at polling stations from informing their parties about voter turnout in real-time, a practice that enabled parties to encourage undecided voters to cast their ballots using digital tools and apps.

The legal battle centered on the Likud party's demand to access this data to mobilize voters. The court, in an opinion primarily authored by Justice Yael Willner and agreed upon by Justices Alex Stein and Khaled Kabub, found the practice illegal.

Justice Willner stated that the use of such systems allows parties to identify potential voters who have not yet cast their ballots and to target them for encouragement. However, she ruled this practice is unlawful due to a lack of legal authority, a violation of privacy rights associated with the transfer of such information, and a breach of the prohibition against privacy infringement under Section 2(9) of the Privacy Protection Law.

The judges further clarified that the Central Elections Committee lacks the authority to permit this practice in the absence of clear and explicit legal authorization.