Court ruling8/16/2026

Polling-Station Voting Data Will Be Published on Election Day

The Chair of the Central Elections Committee, Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg, rejected the Likud party’s request to reconsider the prohibition on providing parties with information about the identities of those who voted. However, the Central Elections Committee will publish aggregate data on voter turnout at each regular polling station at least four times during the day.

Key facts

•Body: Central Elections Committee of Israel
•Chair: Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg
•Applicant: Likud party
•Publication of voting data: at least four times a day
•Statute: Protection of Privacy Law
•The proceeding number and exact date of the decision are not specified in the source

What Likud Requested

Likud requested reconsideration of the decision prohibiting party representatives at polling stations from reporting to their parties in real time exactly who had already voted. In the past, dedicated applications, including “Elector,” were used for this purpose.

What Justice Sohlberg Decided

Sohlberg left the prohibition in place: members of polling station committees and observers may not provide parties with data that could identify those who voted. At the same time, he ordered the publication of voting data for each regular polling station at least four times during the day. All candidate lists will receive equal access to these data.

The Legal Basis

Information about the fact that a person voted, the time of voting, and the type of polling station could infringe a person’s privacy. According to the decision, transferring this information for party activity is not permitted under the Protection of Privacy Law, and election law does not grant party representatives the appropriate powers. The Central Elections Committee also emphasized that the decision does not change the election rules shortly before voting: the legality of the previous practice had already raised doubts among the Committee’s chairs.

Balancing Transparency and Privacy

Only aggregate data that cannot be used to determine whether a specific person voted will be published. This will allow the parties to assess turnout rates and call on citizens to participate in the elections without disclosing personal information. Sohlberg also invited the Knesset factions and other participants in the proceeding to present practical ways to increase voter turnout while protecting voters’ privacy.

What this means for you

Voters will be able to vote without parties receiving information that they themselves have already arrived at the polling station, including the time of voting and the related circumstances. However, during the day, the public and the parties will receive general statistical data on turnout rates at regular polling stations that will not enable the identification of specific citizens.

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