Election Committee Clarifies Rules for Valid Ballots
Translated & summarized from JDN by baba
The Central Election Committee has clarified rules for valid ballots after misinformation spread online. Ballots with identifying marks or incorrect additions may be disqualified. Blank white ballots must be filled with specific party letters using a blue pen. Envelopes with multiple different or excessive identical ballots will be disqualified, with final decisions made during the vote count.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Ballots with identifying marks or unauthorized additions may be disqualified.
- Blank white ballots must be filled with party letters using a blue pen.
- Multiple different ballots or four or more identical ballots will disqualify the envelope.
- Ballots with approved party letters and an unofficial nickname are valid.
- Voters finding damaged ballots should request replacements from the polling station secretary.
The Central Election Committee has issued a clarification of voting rules following inaccurate information circulating on social media. Voters are reminded that printed ballots must match the official sample approved by the committee. Any additions to the ballot, such as greetings, signatures, drawings, dots, holes, or smudges that could identify the voter, may lead to the ballot being disqualified. If the desired party's printed ballot is unavailable, voters can request a blank white ballot from the polling station secretary. This white ballot must be filled out using only a blue pen and handwritten, with the approved party letters (or letters and party nickname) in Hebrew, Arabic, or both. A blank white ballot or one with only the party name written, but not its official letters, will be disqualified. Regarding the number of ballots in an envelope, one ballot is valid. Two or three identical ballots will be counted as a single vote and will not be disqualified. However, four or more ballots, or ballots from different parties, will result in the envelope being disqualified. If a ballot contains the letters of an approved party alongside a nickname different from its official one, the vote will be counted based on the letters. Any ballot found in an envelope with an object other than ballots will be disqualified. The committee emphasizes that voters encountering marked, torn, or damaged ballots inside the voting booth should immediately contact the polling station secretary for a valid ballot. The final decision on ballot validity is made during the vote count, according to the law.
