Israeli Election Committee Bans Reporting Voter Turnout to Parties on Election Day

Noam Sohlberg, Chair of Israel's Central Elections Committee, ruled on Tuesday that polling station committee members and party observers are prohibited from reporting to their parties about which voters have already cast their ballots during election day. This decision significantly impacts ultra-Orthodox parties, which traditionally contact voters who have not yet voted to encourage turnout.

Sohlberg determined that sharing information about the act of voting, including the time and type of polling station (such as hospital or accessibility stations), violates privacy rights under the Privacy Protection Law. Election laws do not authorize party representatives to transmit such information for party activities, and without explicit authorization, this practice is forbidden.

The ruling followed a petition filed by attorney Shahar Ben Meir, supported by Tel Aviv University's Privacy Protection Clinic, arguing that real-time updates via apps identifying who has voted infringe on voter privacy and ballot secrecy. In response, Knesset factions were asked for their positions. Likud, Shas, and United Torah Judaism claimed the practice is lawful, with Religious Zionism siding with Likud; other parties did not take a position.

Sohlberg emphasized that voter information is private and provided to party representatives solely to fulfill their polling station duties. Using this data to identify and mobilize non-voters contradicts its intended purpose and is thus prohibited by privacy law. He noted the ruling reflects current legal standards without commenting on future arrangements and called for a comprehensive review of election and privacy laws in light of recent technological advances.

Parties remain permitted to use voter registry information to contact voters, but this does not include data on actual voting activity.