Supreme Court Bans Real-Time Voter Tracking App in Elections

Israel's Supreme Court on Thursday definitively banned the use of the 'Elector' application, which allows parties to track voters in real-time on election day. The ruling overturned a decision by the Central Elections Committee, which had approved the app's use earlier this month by a vote of 19 to 11.

The High Court of Justice unanimously declared the practice illegal, stating that the real-time transfer of information about citizens who have voted from polling stations to party headquarters violates privacy rights and administrative law principles. The court emphasized that even the full Elections Committee lacks the authority to approve such practices without explicit legislative backing from the Knesset.

The controversy began when the chairman of the Central Elections Committee, Justice Noam Sohlberg, initially prohibited parties from transferring real-time digital data on voters, citing the need to protect privacy and election integrity. This decision angered parties like Likud, who argued it would hinder their ability to mobilize supporters on election day and constituted a significant change to election rules mid-campaign.

Following petitions to the Supreme Court regarding Sohlberg's authority to make such a sweeping decision unilaterally, the court ordered the issue to be decided by the broader Elections Committee. The committee's deliberations became a political battleground, with lawmakers clashing with representatives from the Privacy Protection Authority. Despite legal warnings that the practice was unlawful, the committee ultimately voted to re-approve the 'Elector' app and similar real-time reporting systems, overriding Sohlberg's initial stance.

However, the Supreme Court's final ruling nullifies the Elections Committee's decision. This means that during upcoming elections, party representatives at polling stations are prohibited from monitoring voter lists or reporting who has voted and who has not, forcing parties to completely re-evaluate their election day strategies.