Israel's Election Authority Website Lacks Russian Information for New Immigrants
Translated & summarized from Vesty by baba
Israel's Central Elections Committee website is again failing to provide voting information in Russian and French, impacting new immigrants. "Vesti" has translated crucial voting rules, including a ban on photography at polling stations and guidelines for ballot validity. The explanation also covers the use of "double envelopes" for voters casting ballots away from their registered locations, a process designed to prevent fraud while preserving ballot secrecy.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Israel's election authority website lacks crucial voting information in Russian and French.
- Nearly 100,000 Russian-speaking immigrants have arrived since the last election.
- Photography is prohibited within Israeli polling stations for voters and staff.
- Blank ballots are only valid if the voter writes a party designation in blue ink.
- Double envelopes are used for voters casting ballots away from their registered locations.
For the second consecutive election, the Israeli Central Elections Committee (CEC) website has failed to provide information in Russian, despite a significant influx of nearly 100,000 Russian-speaking new immigrants since the last election. The "Vesti" publication previously criticized this oversight in 2022 and highlighted it again for Ynet, noting that information in French is also absent. To address this gap, "Vesti" has translated key voting information from the CEC's website for Russian-speaking voters.
Key voting rules clarified include a prohibition on photography within polling stations, a measure intended to prevent both voter selfies and unauthorized documentation. This rule applies to voters and polling station staff, with an exception for CEC-appointed election inspectors. The CEC's Q&A section explicitly states that photography is forbidden on election premises.
Regarding ballot validity, a blank ballot is only considered valid if the voter writes the intended party's designation in blue ink. Otherwise, a blank ballot placed in the envelope is deemed invalid.
The article also explains the function of "double envelopes" or external envelopes, used by voters casting ballots away from their registered polling stations. This category includes soldiers, prisoners, hospital patients, police officers, individuals with disabilities, and election workers assigned to different locations. Their ballots are placed in an inner envelope, which is then put into an outer envelope containing voter identification. This system allows election officials to verify that individuals have not voted twice before separating the outer envelope and proceeding with the anonymous counting of the inner ballot, thus maintaining both accountability and voter privacy.
