Full Breakdown
Israeli Election Committee Bars UTJ from Reporting Turnout Figures on Election Day
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In this breakdown
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Election-Day Order Bars UTJ from Reporting Turnout
Justice Noam Sohlberg, chairman of the Central Elections Committee, issued a temporary order on Tuesday that prohibits United Torah Judaism (UTJ) and its polling-station representatives from transmitting any voter-turnout numbers, whether in real time or through periodic updates. The order applies to all polling stations nationwide and was issued following a petition by the Movement for Quality Government (MQG).
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Legal History of Voter-Information Restrictions
The dispute traces back to August, when the High Court ruled that polling-station officials could not pass identifiable voter information to parties for campaign use. The court allowed parties to receive aggregate turnout figures but barred the transmission of individual data. On September 6, the full elections committee voted to permit identified reporting under restrictions, but the High Court unanimously reversed that permission on September 17 (Justices Yael Willner, Alex Stein, Khaled Kabub).
In an October 14 clarification, acting committee director-general Dean Livne authorized party observers to digitally count voters and transmit the totals, provided no individual voters were identified. The Israel Democracy Guard challenged this permission, arguing that removing names does not resolve whether officials inside polling stations are authorized to collect and forward any information to party headquarters. The state and Likud defended the distinction, asserting that aggregate figures can help parties encourage participation.
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Party and Institutional Reactions
UTJ responded that it is complying with the High Court’s rulings and instructed all its polling-station representatives at 9:27 a.m. not to report voter numbers by any means. The party said it had initially understood the October 22 ruling to prohibit only digital reporting and had prepared to transmit figures by other methods, learning only on Tuesday of the subsequent decision that barred all transmission.
MQG’s attorney Jacqueline Bracha demanded immediate police enforcement of the order, stating that “the High Court’s decisions and the election committee chairman’s order are binding, and on Election Day there is no time to wait.” MQG also asked police to investigate suspected violations, collect testimony, and preserve evidence.
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Criticism and Legal Challenges
The Israel Democracy Guard’s challenge represents organized opposition to the October 14 permission, contending that any collection of turnout data by party officials exceeds legal authority. UTJ’s request that Sohlberg dismiss the petition and award costs reflects the party’s view that MQG could have verified compliance through direct contact before filing.
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Verbatim Quotes
- “The High Court’s decisions and the election committee chairman’s order are binding, and on Election Day there is no time to wait,” — Jacqueline Bracha, an attorney in MQG’s economic department