Israel High Court Bans Real-Time Voter Tracking

The High Court of Justice ruled on Thursday that political parties are prohibited from collecting and transmitting real-time data on which identifiable voters have cast ballots. This unanimous decision overturns a September 6 ruling by the Central Elections Committee that would have permitted the practice under certain restrictions.

The court determined that using information obtained by polling station representatives to identify voters violates the Privacy Protection Law and lacks legal authorization. The justices noted that long-standing practice does not substitute for law. The ruling will be in effect for the upcoming election on October 27.

The Movement for Quality Government, which petitioned the court, stated the ruling protects voter privacy and prevents the monitoring of citizens. Conversely, the Likud party condemned the decision as an attack on its electoral operations. Justice Minister Yariv Levin accused the court of attempting to influence election results to block a judicial overhaul.