Likud Blasts Supreme Court Ruling Banning Real-Time Voter Data Transfer
The Likud party strongly criticized a unanimous Supreme Court ruling banning real-time voter turnout tracking at polling stations, calling it a deliberate political blow to right-wing parties ahead of the elections.
The Likud party issued a sharp response on Friday to the Supreme Court ruling overturning the Central Election Committee's decision and completely banning the real-time transfer of voter turnout data from polling stations. In a strong statement, Likud condemned the ruling as a blatant and improper intervention in the democratic process, adding that the move is designed to intentionally impair the national camp parties' ability to mobilize and bring out their voters on election day.
Condemnation of the Court Ruling
In its official statement, the party attacked the timing of the intervention during such a sensitive period. "The Supreme Court ruling to cancel the Election Committee decision regarding the use of the 'Electra' application is a deliberate political blow to the right-wing parties' ability to get their voters to the polls; this is a danger to democracy," the statement read. Likud also pointed an accusatory finger at the judicial panel and its leadership, claiming that Justice Noam Solberg—who previously argued that "rules of the game must not be changed mid-game"—is doing precisely that by acting as a political player.
"Democracy is rule by the people; the Supreme Court will not decide for you, come out and vote," the Likud party stated.
Supreme Court Unanimous Decision
The Likud's reaction follows the Supreme Court ruling that turned an order nisi into a final absolute order, prohibiting party representatives at polling stations from transmitting real-time voter information to headquarters. The decision was made unanimously by a three-justice panel comprising Yael Wilner, Alex Stein, and Khaled Kabub, who ruled that using such mobile applications lacks proper legal authorization and severely violates the right to privacy.
The affair began when Election Committee Chairman, Supreme Court Justice Noam Solberg, initially banned data transmission, citing concerns over election integrity and privacy, which sparked widespread anger among right-wing factions. Following turbulent debates, the full Election Committee later overturned that decision by a 19-11 vote, reauthorizing the reporting systems. However, the final Supreme Court ruling has now reshuffled the deck, forcing parties to overhaul their election day strategies without digital real-time tracking.
