Likud Files Urgent Supreme Court Petition Against Election Committee Chair Over Real-Time Voting Data Ban

The Likud party has filed an urgent petition to Israel's Supreme Court challenging a decision by Noam Sohlberg, the chair of the Central Elections Committee and Deputy President of the Supreme Court. The petition opposes Sohlberg's August 4 ruling that prohibits party representatives at polling stations from transmitting real-time information about voter turnout and voting presence to their parties. Likud argues this ruling represents a significant and unprecedented change to long-standing election practices occurring in the midst of the election campaign for the 26th Knesset, scheduled for October 27, 2026.

Historically, party representatives have monitored and reported voter turnout to help mobilize voters who have not yet cast ballots. Likud claims this practice, once manual and now digital, is crucial for election strategy. The party cites Sohlberg's own previous judicial remarks emphasizing that election rules should not be altered once the campaign is underway, asserting that the current decision violates this principle.

Likud also highlights its substantial investment in preparing the "Elector" system, including cybersecurity testing and data refinement, with a contract valued at 1.8 million shekels. The party contends that the information shared does not reveal how individuals voted, only whether they voted, thus maintaining ballot secrecy. They further argue that Sohlberg lacks authority to enforce privacy laws in this context, referencing prior rulings that privacy enforcement is not within the election chair's remit.

Sohlberg has already rejected Likud's request for reconsideration on August 16 but allowed a compromise where the Elections Committee can provide parties with overall voter turnout data per polling station without identifying individual voters. Likud now seeks an expedited hearing from the Supreme Court to overturn the ban, emphasizing the need for parties to prepare adequately ahead of the upcoming elections.