Voter Suppression Campaigns Threaten Israeli Elections

Voter suppression tactics, designed to deter specific population groups from voting, are a growing concern for upcoming Israeli elections. These methods aim to discourage voting rather than persuade voters for a particular party. Tactics range from intimidation and misinformation to administrative and legal barriers.

Internationally, instances of voter suppression have been documented. In Canada in 2011, automated calls directed voters to incorrect polling stations, leading to a conviction for voter suppression. In the U.S. in 2016, a social media campaign impersonating an African American organization encouraged voting by text message instead of at polling stations, and Russian disinformation campaigns aimed to discourage Black voters. More recently, AI-generated robocalls mimicking President Biden's voice were used to tell voters to skip primaries.

Research has attempted to quantify the impact of these campaigns. A U.S. study found that exposure to voter suppression ads reduced turnout by 1.86 percentage points nationally, with a significantly larger impact on target demographics. Similarly, research on Canadian robocalls estimated a 3 percentage point drop in affected districts. In Texas, a new voting law requiring specific identification for mail-in ballots led to higher rejection rates, particularly among non-white voters, and subsequent lower turnout.

In Israel, concerns have been raised about potential voter suppression targeting young people, with a small Instagram video about tearing up voting invitations being shared widely. Historically, in the 2019 elections, Likud activists placed cameras at polling stations in Arab towns, which the party claimed was to ensure election integrity, though critics argued it was intended to intimidate voters. The Central Elections Committee ruled against photography at polling stations. Additionally, a PR firm involved in the camera placement claimed responsibility for preventing approximately 40,000 Arab votes, a claim that remains unsubstantiated. The low Arab voter turnout in that election has been attributed by some to these tactics, though academic analysis suggests isolating the exact impact is difficult.

Administrative barriers also pose a challenge. In 2026, a Knesset initiative removed the obligation to place polling stations in nursing homes, despite requests from the Central Elections Committee. Following petitions to the Supreme Court (בג"ץ), the committee recommended placing stations in some facilities, but petitioners claim political considerations prevented others from being equipped. Another administrative hurdle affects Bedouin citizens in unrecognized villages in the Negev, where the absence of local polling stations and the distance to designated voting locations contribute to significantly lower turnout compared to the national average.