Likud Allowed to Conduct Real-Time Vote Count Ahead of Elections

With less than two weeks until the elections, the Central Elections Committee has approved a significant organizational move by the Likud party. Members of polling station committees and observers from Likud will be permitted to conduct a quantitative count of voters in real-time using digital tools, provided that voter anonymity is strictly maintained and no identifying information is collected. This decision was conveyed in a formal letter from Dean Livna, acting Director-General of the Central Elections Committee, to Ilan Bombach, the committee's deputy chairman representing the Likud. Bombach's request followed restrictions imposed by the High Court of Justice and the committee chairman on transferring personal and identifying information of voters on election day, which had impacted the "Elector" system. Bombach sought to clarify the boundaries, distinguishing between documenting the identity of those arriving at the polling station, which was rejected as an invasion of privacy, and a purely statistical tracking of general turnout rates. The Likud pledged that the digital documentation would not involve photography, recording, or access to polling station documents, and would not allow for the attribution of votes to specific individuals. Following legal consultation, the Elections Committee fully adopted the Likud's position. Livna clarified that there is no legal impediment to conducting an anonymous count and transmitting only the overall numbers to party headquarters to ascertain turnout percentages at each polling station. The committee reiterated existing limitations, including rules on mobile phone use within polling stations during voting and vote counting, and a strict prohibition on any attempt to collect personal information that could directly or indirectly identify voters.