Israeli Election Committee Bans Real-Time Voter Identity Data Sharing with Parties

Noam Solberg, chairman of the Israeli Central Elections Committee, rejected a request to reconsider his decision prohibiting party representatives at polling stations from transmitting real-time information about voter identities to their parties. Solberg clarified that the ruling does not change election laws near voting day but reinforces existing privacy protections under a specific privacy law. He noted that in recent years, doubts have been raised about the legality of sharing voter identity data, and parties should have prepared for the possibility that this practice would be banned, including by promoting legislation to regulate it.

Solberg urged Knesset factions and other stakeholders to propose practical methods to encourage voter turnout while respecting the privacy principles outlined in the decision. On election day, the Central Elections Committee will publish voter turnout rates at each regular polling station at least four times, providing all parties equal access to aggregated data. This approach allows parties to mobilize voters without exposing individual voter identities, thus balancing voter encouragement with privacy and election integrity.

The committee emphasized that the shared data is aggregate and does not enable identification of individual voters, ensuring the protection of Israeli citizens' privacy and the purity of the election process.