Rights8/17/2026

Central Elections Committee Proposed Opening Polling Stations in 159 Nursing Homes

The Central Elections Committee presented the High Court of Justice with a compromise plan to place polling stations in nursing homes throughout the country. This followed a petition by elderly residents of assisted-living facilities and the deadline set by the court for presenting a reasonable solution.

Key facts

•It was proposed that polling stations be placed in 159 nursing homes
•Requests were sent to 290 facilities
•The plan was presented to the High Court of Justice by the Central Elections Committee
•The deadline set by the High Court of Justice for submitting an updated plan was six days
•The case number and exact date of the decision are not stated in the source

Why the Dispute Arose

The temporary provision requiring polling stations to be placed in nursing homes that are not long-term care facilities expired, and in early July the coalition removed the issue from the Elections Law bill. The Central Elections Committee sought to enshrine their placement in law to make voting easier for elderly people and residents of assisted-living facilities. According to Ynet, opponents of the amendment feared that it would give the Yisrael Beiteinu party an electoral advantage.

The Elderly Residents’ Petition to the High Court of Justice

Elderly citizens living in assisted-living facilities filed an urgent petition with the High Court of Justice. They argued that eliminating the polling stations would make it extremely difficult for thousands of people to vote or prevent them from doing so, including those who use walkers and wheelchairs.

How the Court Responded

At a hearing held one week earlier, the justices accepted the state’s declaration that accessible polling stations would be established in place of those that had been canceled. At the same time, the High Court of Justice required a satisfactory plan to be presented within six days. Supreme Court President Yitzhak Amit criticized the reduction of citizens’ voting options, while Justices Kanfi-Steinitz and Grosskopf raised the question of the High Court of Justice’s authority to intervene.

What the Committee Proposed

The committee contacted 290 nursing homes where polling stations had operated in the previous elections. The final list included 159 facilities that agreed and met the required conditions. Although the legal obligation to place polling stations in them was abolished, the committee proposed opening them to the greatest extent possible; the High Court of Justice’s final decision on the petition is not stated in the source.

What this means for you

If the plan is implemented, elderly residents of the facilities included on the list will be able to vote directly at their places of residence, which is especially important for people with limited mobility. However, this does not restore a general statutory obligation: polling stations are to be placed only at locations where the facility agreed and met the conditions. The outcome of the petition is still not evident from the report.

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Case analysis based on court rulings