Knesset panel loosens requirements for election observers

The Central Elections Committee says that polling station observers it will hire for the upcoming elections will not be required to have completed service in the IDF.

The announcement comes hours after job postings for the position publicized by a recruitment firm hired by the committee listed “full army service” as the one and only requirement, effectively closing off the position to many ultra-Orthodox and Arab Israeli communities.

Addressing those concerns, the committee explains that the qualification was written by the firm without their knowledge. However, because the job will partially require “securing” polling stations, some degree of background in the field will be required from candidates. This can be shown either through full military service, at least 18 months of service in the Israel Police, service in a foreign military not belonging to an enemy state or completion of a state-accredited security guards course.

In addition, every applicant will be required to declare that they are not a member of a political party and have not carried out any activity on behalf of a particular party in the last three years.

On Monday, Central Election Committee chairman Hanan Melcer handed down a major ruling barring political parties from equipping their representatives on polling station committees with cameras, in a blow to Likud which planned on sending thousands of camera-ridden activists into Arab community ballot stations to prevent alleged voter fraud.

In his decision, Melcer ordered the launching of a pilot program in which his committee will hire impartial poll observers who will be stationed at ballot stations marked where irregular ballot counts were documented in April. These non-party affiliated observers will be given body cameras that they will only be authorized to turn on when there is suspicion of voter fraud and after Melcer himself has signed off on their use.

The observers will also be required to turn on the cameras in these particular polling stations to film the entire ballot counting process.

— Jacob Magid