Court ruling8/16/2026

Parties Will Not Receive Voters’ Identities in Real Time

The Chair of the Central Elections Committee, Justice Noam Sohlberg, rejected Likud’s request to reconsider the prohibition on providing parties with information about the identities of voters who have already voted. Instead of personal data, the Central Elections Committee will publish aggregate voting data from regular polling stations.

Key facts

•Decision by: Chair of the Central Elections Committee
•Chair of the Central Elections Committee: Justice Noam Sohlberg
•Applicant: Likud party
•Publication of voter turnout rates: at least four times during Election Day
•Legal basis: Protection of Privacy Law
•The proceeding number and date of the decision are not specified in the source

What Likud Requested

The party asked for reconsideration of the decision prohibiting its representatives at polling stations from transmitting real-time information about the identities of those who had already voted. Sohlberg refused to change the decision, citing the need to protect voter privacy and ensure the integrity of the elections.

The Basis for the Decision

According to the explanation provided by the Chair of the Central Elections Committee, this does not constitute a change to the election rules shortly before the vote, but rather a clarification of the existing law and the application of an explicit provision of the Protection of Privacy Law. In recent years, chairs of the Central Elections Committee have already expressed doubts regarding the legality of the practice of transmitting personal information about those who voted. Therefore, the factions should have taken into account in advance the possibility that the practice would be prohibited, or attempted to regulate the issue through legislation.

What Alternative Was Established

Following consultations with the factions in the Knesset and with other parties participating in the process, Sohlberg ordered that voter turnout rates at every regular polling station in the country be published at least four times during Election Day. The data will be provided simultaneously and under equal conditions to all lists participating in the elections.

Voters’ Identities Will Remain Confidential

Only aggregate data will be published, from which it will not be possible to determine whether a particular person voted. In the assessment of the Chair of the Central Elections Committee, this will allow the parties to encourage voting without infringing voters’ privacy or the proper conduct of the elections.

What this means for you

Candidate lists will be able to monitor voter turnout rates at certain regular polling stations and conduct campaigns to encourage voting. However, they will not receive real-time information that makes it possible to determine whether a particular citizen voted.

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