Israeli Supreme Court Orders New Secret Ballot for State Comptroller Election Over Privacy Breach
The Israeli Supreme Court unanimously ruled on Thursday that the second round of voting for the State Comptroller must be annulled and redone due to violations of ballot secrecy. The court found that the principle of secret voting was compromised after several Knesset members recorded their votes on video and some placed their ballots outside the voting booth.
The original election took place on June 3, 2026, when no candidate secured a majority in the first round. In the second round, attorney Michael Rebilov was declared the winner with 61 votes against 57 for retired judge Yosef Elron. Prior to the second round, the Knesset Speaker permitted members to decide individually whether to film their votes, leading to the contested recordings.
Deputy Supreme Court President Noam Sohlberg authored the key opinion, emphasizing that both the Basic Law and the State Comptroller Law require secret ballots to ensure members vote freely without external pressure. He stated that even if a member waives secrecy for themselves, it undermines the entire process and the rights of other members. The court rejected arguments that video recordings could be compatible with secret voting, calling such interpretations unreasonable.
The court noted that at least six Knesset members either filmed their votes or placed ballots outside the booth, and combined with the Speaker's allowance, this could have affected the election outcome. Sohlberg clarified the ruling does not question who should be State Comptroller but insists on a proper, secret voting process. The Knesset may re-elect either candidate in a valid secret ballot.
The judgment aims to protect the integrity of the democratic process and uphold the independence of Knesset members by ensuring their votes remain confidential. The Supreme Court ordered the annulment of the flawed second round and mandated a new secret ballot election for the State Comptroller position in accordance with the law.
