Police Arrest Three Over Vote-Buying as Parties File Election Complaints
Police arrested three Negev residents over alleged vote-buying for Ra'am, as parties filed multiple complaints with the Central Elections Committee regarding ballot tampering, shortages, and incidents of violence.
Southern District police arrested three residents from the Negev region overnight on suspicion of electoral bribery. According to investigators, the suspects planned to distribute cash to citizens in exchange for votes for the Ra’am party. Searches conducted at their homes yielded cash, pre-sorted envelopes, and official Ra’am ballots. The suspects are scheduled to appear in court for a remand hearing, and the investigation is being handled by the Southern District fraud unit.
Meanwhile, the Ra’am party filed an urgent complaint with the Central Elections Committee regarding suspected election integrity violations. A Ra’am representative on the committee reported that unofficial or altered ballots had been distributed, including ballots featuring the Hebrew letters of the party without the mandatory Arabic text. The party warned that this could disenfranchise non-Hebrew speakers. Additionally, Ra’am reported finding ballots with suspicious puncture marks or torn corners, raising concerns that votes could be invalidated during the count, alongside complaints of deliberate delays at polling stations.
In a separate development, the Amcha Yisrael party also petitioned the Central Elections Committee over shortages of its designated ballots, marked with the Hebrew letter kaf, in several polling stations. The party reported instances where ballots were placed upside down to appear blank, as well as an incident where an individual attempted to remove all party ballots from a voting booth. The party urged citizens to report any irregularities to station secretaries.
At the same time, the ultra-Orthodox party HaTzibur HaHaredi reported that its activists were assaulted and information booths were vandalized outside polling stations in Bnei Brak, Beit Shemesh, and Beitar Illit. Formal complaints have been submitted to the police and the Central Elections Committee, with party leadership calling on law enforcement to ensure a safe voting environment.
