Election committee chief: Several voting irregularities being probed

Central Elections Committee director general Orly Ades says several irregular events are being probed during voting.

In ultra-Orthodox Beitar Illit, near Jerusalem, a polling station secretary reportedly told residents to vote for a particular party. He was immediately reported by another official and has been replaced, she says.

In the Druze village of Yarka in northern Israel, where irregularities have been reported in previous elections, police are investigating two incidents of alleged theft of empty envelopes.

It was reported that several people came into the polling station and took quantities of envelopes, Ades says, adding that the entire committee serving the station in Yarka might be replaced.

Another five incidents are being investigated, she goes on, involving people at polling stations in different locations reporting that their names had already been crossed off the list of eligible voters when they arrived.

This could mean someone else voted in their name, Ades said, but could also be due to an official crossing out the wrong name on the voter list.