"Deep Negligence": Will Israelis Returning from Abroad Lose Their Right to Vote?

MK Gilad Kariv (The Democrats) spoke on Monday with Anat Davidov on 103fm radio ahead of the deadline for submitting requests to correct voter details in the registry, which is tomorrow.

MK Gilad Kariv explained:

"According to the law, until tomorrow it is possible to file an appeal against removal from the voter registry. For those not found in the registry, requests for address updates can be submitted until the beginning of September. However, if a person was previously in the registry and was removed for any reason, tomorrow is the final deadline. This is particularly relevant for Israelis living abroad who wish to travel to the country to vote and want to verify their status before purchasing flight tickets."

Kariv continued: "The body responsible for preparing the voter registry within the Population Authority is the Ministry of Interior, not the Central Elections Committee. Despite our repeated calls, they delayed publishing contact methods and failed to provide effective, simple tools for citizens to check their registration status."

MK Gilad Kariv offered both a reassuring message and a warning:

"We have not identified any malicious move to remove people from the registry, but there is deep negligence. We have already issued a third or fourth appeal; the Central Elections Committee has appealed to the Ministry of Interior, but they are dragging their feet. This may be related to the fact that we have not had a Minister of Interior for about a year; there is severe negligence here by the Ministry of Interior."

Kariv concluded with advice: "We are talking about approximately a million Israelis living abroad, among whom tens of thousands are expected to arrive in the country. I suggest taking advantage of the next 24 hours to contact the ministry via SMS, email, or WhatsApp, as listed on the Ministry of Interior website under the elections section."