Likud Party Seeks Alternatives for Voter Tracking Amid Judicial Ban
Translated & summarized from Arab48 by baba
The Likud party is seeking alternative methods to track voter turnout after the Supreme Court banned electronic tools for monitoring and transmitting data from polling stations. Despite the ban on apps like 'Elector' and 'Nitzahon 26', Likud is exploring options such as unofficial delegates outside polling stations to identify supporters who have voted. The party relies on a database of about one million supporters for its mobilization efforts. Other parties have voiced concerns about potential circumvention of the ban, while the Central Elections Committee is reinforcing the prohibition with new training and signage.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Likud is developing alternative methods to track voter turnout after the Supreme Court banned electronic monitoring tools.
- The Supreme Court previously outlawed the 'Elector' and 'Nitzahon 26' apps for real-time voter data transmission.
- The party is considering using unofficial delegates outside polling stations to identify supporters who have voted.
- Likud has a database of approximately one million supporters used for election mobilization.
- Other parties fear Likud may circumvent the judicial ban on electronic voter tracking.
- The Central Elections Committee is reinforcing the ban with training and signage at polling stations.
The Likud party, led by Benjamin Netanyahu, is actively searching for alternative methods to monitor voter turnout, despite Supreme Court rulings prohibiting the use of electronic tools to track participants and transmit their data from polling stations to parties. These efforts are driven by concerns about circumventing the ban and potentially exploiting turnout data for election mobilization campaigns.
Representatives from Likud received a message indicating that the court had invalidated a tracking tool via the Telegram app and that the party is developing an alternative technical solution for committee members at polling stations, with further instructions to follow. Party sources confirmed that the search for a replacement is ongoing until election day.
The Supreme Court previously banned the use of the 'Elector' app last month and on Thursday invalidated a similar application called 'Nitzahon 26' (Victory 26), both designed to count voters at each polling station. The ruling prevents party representatives at polling stations from digitally counting voters and transmitting this data to their parties in real-time using smart devices.
According to Likud sources, the party is exploring "innovative ideas" to identify which of its supporters have voted. One proposed method involves deploying unofficial delegates outside polling stations who would utilize the party's database. Officials acknowledged this approach is less precise than the banned applications but stated it is "better than nothing."
Likud possesses a database of approximately one million supporters, built years ago using the 'Elector' app. Previously, party representatives would identify voters who had arrived at polling stations, cross-reference them with the database to see who had not yet voted, and then encourage them to participate through text messages and calls. The party considers this mechanism crucial for the current elections, as its campaign has focused on mobilizing supporters rather than swaying voters from opposing camps.
Other parties have expressed concerns about Likud potentially using electronic means to transmit real-time information despite the court's decision, citing ambiguity in the instructions given to polling station representatives and Likud's extensive database. They warned that a lack of clear directives could allow Likud representatives to bypass the ban and continue updating turnout data.
The Central Elections Committee stated that it is modifying the training process for polling station members to emphasize the ban and will post clear signs at polling stations prohibiting the collection and transmission of voter information. The committee and the Privacy Protection Authority will examine party app servers to ensure no personal voter information is transferred, though it remains unclear if these checks will occur during or after election day.
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