Israeli Election Chief Assures Ballot Integrity Amid Security Concerns
Translated & summarized from Kikar HaShabbat by baba
The Chairman of the Central Elections Committee, Judge Noam Sohlberg, visited the election logistics center 13 days before the vote, assuring the integrity of the process. He highlighted the meticulous preparation of over 450 million ballot papers and 12 million envelopes for 7.3 million voters. Sohlberg addressed security, cyber, and AI threats, stating that numerous controls ensure accurate results and that "stealing an election is impossible." The committee is coordinating with security agencies for various scenarios.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Election chief Noam Sohlberg assured election integrity 13 days before the vote.
- Over 450 million ballot papers and 12 million envelopes are being prepared.
- The logistics center is ready for 7.3 million eligible voters at 12,018 polling stations.
- Sohlberg addressed security, cyber, and AI threats, citing control mechanisms.
- The committee is coordinating with police and Shin Bet for election day scenarios.
- Ballot printing is ongoing 24/7 for 38 competing lists.
The Chairman of the Central Elections Committee, Judge Noam Sohlberg, visited the committee's operational and logistics center in Shoham on Wednesday, 13 days before the upcoming elections. During the tour, he was briefed on the processes for packing, controlling, and shipping election materials to all polling stations across Israel. The Director of the Logistics Center, Yossi Thoran, detailed the operations, which include packaging ballot boxes and envelopes for election committee secretaries, rigorous quality control, and the distribution of equipment via hundreds of trucks.
The logistics center is preparing for 7,331,981 eligible voters to cast their ballots at 12,018 polling stations. Approximately 450 million ballot papers for 38 competing lists, 12 million voting envelopes, and 4 million outer envelopes have been printed. Innovations aimed at reducing errors and easing the work of polling station teams were also presented, including a new ruler for marking voters' registers and a backup system for quickly supplying additional materials if needed.
Sohlberg emphasized that the logistics center vividly demonstrates the election process, highlighting the meticulous work done to ensure every detail, down to the last pen, is accounted for. He addressed security challenges, public discourse polarization, and threats from cyber and artificial intelligence, stating that dozens of control mechanisms are in place to guarantee accurate results. "The paper ballot allows for counting every vote, recounting, and correcting if necessary, thus providing great confidence in the results," Sohlberg said. "Despite all difficulties, we in the committee are convinced of the integrity of the elections and believe that stealing an election is impossible."
The committee is coordinating with the Israel Police, Shin Bet, the Cyber Directorate, and other bodies to prepare for security, technological, and operational scenarios. The 20 regional committees and the committee's teams are working diligently in full readiness for election day. The printing of ballot papers is being conducted 24/7, six days a week, at the "Orda" factory in Kiryat Gat, with approximately 11.5 million copies printed for each of the 26th Knesset's competing lists.
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