Israel's Supreme Court Blocks Election Vote Tracking App

Israel's Supreme Court on Thursday overturned a decision by the Central Elections Committee, prohibiting the use of the "Elector" application. This app allowed parties to receive real-time updates on which citizens had voted during elections. The court ruled that the app's functionality constitutes a "violation of the right to privacy" and that the Central Elections Committee lacked the legal authority to approve its use.

Justice Yael Willner, writing for the court, stated that the transfer of information about citizens who voted infringes upon privacy rights and contravenes the Privacy Protection Law. She further clarified that the Central Elections Committee is not empowered to permit party representatives at polling stations to engage in such practices.

This ruling reverses a decision made by the Central Elections Committee just two weeks prior, which had initially approved the use of tracking applications like "Elector." This approval had overridden an earlier objection by Judge Noam Sohlberg, who had argued that the data was intended for election integrity oversight, not for partisan use in identifying and mobilizing voters.

While the use of the "Elector" app is now banned, the court specified that general data on voting rates at each polling station can still be published equally to all lists during election day, without revealing individual voter identities.

Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Minister Yariv Levin strongly criticized the Supreme Court's decision, calling it a "desperate move" that changes the rules mid-game. He accused the judges of attempting to halt the government's reform agenda and influence the outcome of future elections, suggesting their decisions are politically motivated. Levin urged the right-wing to vote in large numbers to ensure victory and complete the reform, aiming to end what he described as the control of a few judges over their lives.