Election Committee Grants Likud Partial Access to Voting Materials for Appeal
Translated & summarized from Davar by baba
The Central Elections Committee, led by Judge Noam Sohlberg, partially granted the Likud party's request to review election materials to support an appeal. Likud claims voter data was used to encourage voting in Arab community polling stations, increasing turnout. The committee will allow access to specific forms and lists, with supervision, but denied access to election integrity supervisor photos. The decision does not validate Likud's claims or confirm election result impacts.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Central Elections Committee partially granted Likud's request to review election materials for an appeal.
- Likud alleges voter data was used to encourage voting in Arab community polling stations.
- Access will be granted to specific voting tracking forms and deletion lists.
- The committee denied Likud's request for photos of election integrity supervisors.
- The decision does not validate Likud's claims or confirm any impact on election results.
The Chairman of the Central Elections Committee, Judge Noam Sohlberg, partially granted the Likud party's request to review election materials as part of its effort to file an appeal regarding the election results. Sohlberg stated that some of the requested materials are already available to the party.
The committee's decision allows Likud to access only materials that could potentially support their claims. The Likud party had alleged that in polling stations within the Arab community, voter data was transferred to encourage voting, leading to an approximately 190-polling station increase in voter turnout. The party seeks to examine whether election materials can substantiate an appeal concerning these specific polling stations.
Likud will be granted access to scans of IVR voting tracking forms, as well as records of polling station committee decisions and notes. Additionally, they can review deletion lists, which indicate registered voters who actually cast ballots and the time of their vote. This review will be conducted by election committee staff under supervision, with Likud permitted to send its own observers. However, the request for photographs of election integrity supervisors was denied, as Sohlberg clarified that such materials can only be transferred to the police, the prosecution, and the committee's legal counsel.
Sohlberg emphasized that this decision does not validate Likud's claims or confirm any impact on the election results. Reports of improper use of polling station information also involved other parties, including Likud itself. According to data from the Civil Election Watch, their observers reported 374 alleged instances of prohibited information transfer. Of these, 32% were attributed to Likud representatives, 10% to United Torah Judaism, 6% to Shas, 2% to Ra'am, and 1% to the Joint List, with the responsible party unidentified in 35% of cases. These figures represent reported incidents collected by the organization and are not definitive findings by the Elections Committee or a complete mapping of violations across all polling stations. Likud's specific claims under review relate to the transfer of voter data for mobilization purposes and are distinct from ongoing investigations into foreign funding and undue influence on elections, which are not addressed by Sohlberg's decision.
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