Election Committee Allows Anonymous Vote Counting Amidst Data Restrictions

The Central Elections Committee has clarified that poll workers and observers are permitted to conduct an anonymous count of voters and transmit numerical data, even digitally, provided no identifying information is collected. This decision follows a request from the Likud party's representative, Ilan Bombach, to clarify the extent to which vote counts could proceed after previous rulings prohibited sharing personal voter information with parties.

Acting Director-General Dean Livneh confirmed in an official letter that while collecting personal details about voters remains forbidden, a general, quantitative count of individuals who have voted at each polling station is permissible. This distinction allows for the continued use of digital tools to monitor turnout rates without creating databases on specific voters, effectively addressing concerns raised after the Supreme Court's intervention regarding the use of systems like 'Elector'.

The clarification stems from earlier directives by the Elections Committee chairman and a Supreme Court ruling that barred poll workers from transferring information about a person's presence, vote, or the time and place of their vote to parties or any other entity. These directives had led to updated training for poll workers and study materials emphasizing the prohibition of personal voter data.

Bombach's request specifically sought to differentiate between personal voter information and statistical data, asking if poll workers could count voters without identifying them and report participation rates numerically, including via digital counters. The request included strict conditions: the count must not reveal voter identities, no information on individual voting times would be collected, and no photography or recording would occur. The use of digital tools should not disrupt the voting process or require access to official committee documents.

Livneh, after consulting with the committee's legal counsel, accepted Bombach's request in full. He explicitly stated that poll workers and observers are allowed to count voters quantitatively, without any additional information beyond the total number of voters. He reiterated that the transfer of information would not include any personal voter details and that all other conditions stipulated by the Likud would remain in effect, preventing the use of this authorization for direct or indirect identification of voters.

This clarification also addresses the use of mobile phones in polling stations. While regulations prohibit mobile phone use during voting and vote counting, except for operational or emergency purposes, the committee determined this does not forbid anonymous digital counting under the specified conditions. To prevent confusion, explicit guidelines will be distributed to poll station secretaries and committee members regarding mobile phone use and quantitative counting. These guidelines will clarify that poll workers and observers may perform counts that do not involve collecting, storing, processing, or transmitting personal voter information or any details about their voting circumstances. Practically, this allows parties to receive ongoing reports on the number of actual voters at each station to track participation and turnout, but strictly limited to the total number of voters, not their identities or specific voting times.