In a contentious decision on Tuesday, Central Election Committee Chairman Justice Noam Solberg banned party representatives and observers inside polling stations from transmitting real-time voter turnout data via messaging apps, ruling that the practice constitutes an unlawful invasion of privacy.
The ruling marks a direct reversal of established practices that have long allowed political parties to track who has cast a ballot on election day. Political factions have traditionally relied on live feeds from booth monitors and committee members to identify supporters who have not yet voted. That real-time intelligence feeds into mobilization software designed to drive lagging voters to the polls before closing time.
Privacy Concerns and Legal Justification
According to the official announcement from the Central Election Committee, transmitting details regarding the act of voting and its specific circumstances—such as exact voting timestamps and the category of the polling station—violates privacy regulations. Justice Solberg emphasized that election laws do not grant party representatives the legal authority to harvest and transfer such information for partisan political campaigns.
The petitioners argued that the automated tracking apps compromise both voter privacy and the fundamental secrecy of the ballot.
The transmission of information regarding the act of voting itself and its circumstances, including the voting time and the type of the polling station (such as polling stations in hospitals or for people with limited mobility, for example), constitutes a privacy violation and is not permitted under the provisions of the Privacy Protection Law. Central Election Committee
Political Division and Opposition to the Ruling
Before issuing his decision, Solberg invited parliamentary factions to submit their positions on the matter. While several parties did not weigh in, right-wing and religious factions pushed back hard against any restriction.
Lawmakers from Likud, Shas, and United Torah Judaism—joined by the Religious Zionism faction—insisted that the long-standing reporting practice did not violate the law. Following the verdict, Minister of Communications Shlomo Karhi dismissed the ruling outright, accusing the judiciary of attempting to rewrite election rules midstream.
It seems that Judge Solberg thinks that the Election Committee is just another courtroom of the High Court of Justice, where you can change the rules of the game with the stroke of a pen. The decision harms the ability of all parties to mobilize voters, and especially right-wing voters who are not organized in Kaplan headquarters. We will not allow this absurd decision to be implemented on the ground. We will obtain the information by any means at our disposal. Shlomo Karhi, Minister of Communications
Technological Shifts and Future Legal Frameworks
The clash highlights a broader tension between traditional election administration and modern campaigning technology. Justice Solberg noted that his ruling addresses only the current legal baseline rather than establishing permanent policy. In his closing remarks, he called for a comprehensive legislative review to re-examine how election laws interact with privacy rights in an era of rapid digital evolution.
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