High Court begins hearing over ban on relay of real-time voting information to election campaign HQs

A hearing begins in the High Court of Justice on a petition by the Likud party to overturn a decision by Central Elections Committee Chairman and Deputy Supreme Court President Noam Sohlberg banning polling-station committee members and party-appointed election observers from sending information to party campaign headquarters on which voters have cast their ballot during the upcoming election.

In response to a motion against the practice, Sohlberg determined on August 4 that conveying such information “constitutes a violation of privacy” and is not permitted under the Privacy Protection Law, and further asserted that political party representatives inside polling stations are appointed to administer and supervise the vote, not to provide party campaigns with data for political operations.

Political parties, especially right-wing and Haredi ones, have for several elections used polling station staff to monitor which registered voters have voted in order to target those who have not, so as to boost turnout among likely supporters.

The Likud party argues in its petition the High Court that Sohlberg’s decision created a new restriction on election-day operations amid the current election campaign.

Justices Yael Willner, Alex Stein, and Chaled Kabub are hearing the case.