Bennett’s party accuses Likud of illegally tracking voters at polling stations; CEC disputes claim

By Ariela Karmel

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Ariela Karmel is a political correspondent at The Times of Israel. She previously reported for Calcalist and Haaretz. She holds an MA in Middle Eastern and African History from Tel Aviv University and a BA in Political Science from the University of British Columbia.

Voters wait in line to cast their ballots at a school used as a polling station during the general election in Tel Aviv, October 27, 2026. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Former prime minister Naftali Bennett’s B’Yachad party accuses Likud representatives of illegally tracking voters at polling stations and reporting information about them through a smartphone app, allegations the Central Elections Committee (CEC) says it has received no reports to substantiate.

B’Yachad alleges that Likud representatives inside polling stations are using an app to track voters and relay information to their party, in violation of election law and CEC guidelines, and says it has filed a complaint with the committee.

Responding to the allegations, the CEC says the claims circulating online are incorrect, stressing that “as of now, the committee has received no reports of such activity.”

It says it received one isolated report of photography at a polling station in a moshav in central Israel, but that the polling station official involved stopped taking pictures after the rules were explained to her.

The CEC reiterates that party representatives are prohibited from sharing information with their parties about whether individual voters have arrived at polling stations or cast their ballots, including through smartphone apps.

Following the CEC’s response, B’Yachad says it has received additional reports from its representatives on the ground of Likud officials using the Elector app at polling stations in a moshav in the Lower Galilee, prompting it to file another complaint.

The allegations come after the High Court of Justice ruled last week that polling station officials and party-appointed observers cannot count, via digital means, the number of voters who have voted on election day and transmit that information in real time to the political parties they represent.

The ruling followed allegations that Likud had developed a smartphone app allowing its representatives at polling stations to collect information about individual voters and relay it to campaign headquarters, in violation of election law.