Election Judge Rules Financial Pledges to Abstain from Voting Void
Central Election Committee Chairman Judge Noam Soelberg ruled that financial pledges to abstain from voting are legally void, referring the Satmar funds case to police.
Chairman of the Central Election Committee, Judge Noam Soelberg, ruled on Thursday that any pledge to abstain from voting in exchange for money or material compensation holds no legal validity. The decision was issued following a petition alleging that the Satmar Hasidic community distributed funds ("support payments") to individuals who pledged not to vote in the elections.
The organization that distributed the funds responded by stating that all sums had already been disbursed by the day the petition was filed. It did not clarify whether the funds were provided in exchange for a commitment not to vote.
Soelberg ruled that the matter constituted a "fait accompli," and therefore he lacked jurisdiction to continue deliberating on the petition. However, he ordered the committee's legal adviser to refer the matter to the Israel Police for review.
"As a general rule, I will state clearly and loudly: given the paramount importance of the fundamental right to vote, any commitment to refrain from voting in exchange for money or other material consideration is legally null and void, non-existent, and carries no weight whatsoever. The 'pledgor' remains fully entitled to vote in the elections," Soelberg wrote in his decision.
