Senior Official Condemns Supreme Court Judge Solberg's Ban on Polling Station Voter Reports

A senior political figure sharply criticized Supreme Court Deputy President Noam Solberg, chair of the Central Elections Committee, for his recent decision banning polling station secretaries from reporting which voters have already cast ballots during election day. The official called the ruling "absurd and outrageous," arguing it severely harms democracy and disadvantages elderly, sick, and disabled voters who rely on party field teams to facilitate their voting.

Solberg's ruling prohibits polling committee members and party observers from using apps to relay real-time voter turnout information to party headquarters. This move is expected to particularly impact parties like the ultra-Orthodox factions, which have traditionally used such data to identify and encourage voters who have yet to vote. The judge justified the ban by citing privacy laws, stating that sharing voter participation details violates privacy protections and that election laws do not authorize party representatives to transmit such information for political purposes.

The senior official condemned the decision for making it harder for vulnerable populations to exercise their voting rights, saying, "Instead of encouraging every citizen's right to vote, Judge Solberg chooses to burden the weakest groups. The elderly and sick are left at home, while overseas voters are brought to vote, this is apparently the new democracy of the Elections Committee." The controversy highlights tensions between voter privacy concerns and efforts to maximize turnout through targeted mobilization.

The decision was announced on Tuesday, ahead of upcoming elections, and has sparked debate over the balance between privacy and democratic participation in Israel's electoral process.