Israeli Election Committee Bans Polling Station Data Sharing With Parties

On Tuesday, Supreme Election Committee Chair Judge Noam Solberg ruled that polling station committee members and party observers are prohibited from reporting voter identities or voting details to their parties during election day via dedicated apps. Solberg determined that sharing information about whether and when a person voted, including polling station type, violates privacy laws and is not authorized under election regulations. This decision primarily affects the Likud party and others such as Religious Zionism, Otzma Yehudit, Shas, United Torah Judaism, and Yisrael Beiteinu, which previously used the "Elector" app to track voter turnout and mobilize supporters.

The "Elector" app enabled party activists to identify supporters and update voter databases in real time, facilitating targeted campaigns to encourage supporters to vote and dissuade opponents from voting. Similar apps were used by parties like Yesh Atid and the National Unity Party. Solberg warned that such practices are illegal and may result in criminal and civil penalties, including fines from the Privacy Protection Authority. Individuals whose privacy was violated may also sue.

The ruling followed a petition by attorney Shahar Ben Meir and the Tel Aviv University Privacy Protection Clinic, arguing that real-time voter tracking infringes on voter privacy and election secrecy. While Likud, Shas, and United Torah Judaism denied any legal violation, and Religious Zionism supported Likud's stance, other parties did not comment. Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi criticized the decision, accusing Solberg of overstepping and threatening to circumvent the ruling.

Solberg emphasized that voter information is provided solely for election duties and cannot be used for partisan mobilization. He called for a comprehensive review of election and privacy laws in light of technological advances. The committee clarified that parties may still use voter registry data legally but not information about actual voting. Notably, the "Elector" app suffered a major security breach in 2020 exposing personal data of all 6.5 million registered Israeli voters, yet Likud continued its use.

The ruling marks a significant step to protect voter privacy and election integrity by restricting real-time data sharing from polling stations to political parties.