Sohlberg cuts the switch: the dramatic decision that will cost Likud and Shas seats

The chairman of the Central Elections Committee, Judge Noam Sohlberg, has prohibited the real-time transfer of reports from polling stations to party headquarters, citing a violation of voter privacy. The decision was made following an appeal by attorney Shahar Ben Meir, who argued that party representatives at polling stations are not authorized to collect information about voters. Sohlberg accepted the claim and ruled that the role of representatives is to oversee the integrity of the process, not to collect data. The implication: parties like Likud, Shas, and United Torah Judaism, which invested millions in data systems and applications like Elector, will have to return to traditional methods of voter mobilization. Prof. Yaniv Roznai of Reichman University supported the decision, saying it protects the right to participate in elections without political surveillance. The Elections Committee emphasized that the appeal was submitted within Sohlberg's administrative authority, not as a formal petition. Experts estimate that parties with strong ground operations, like the ultra-Orthodox and Likud, will still have a structural advantage, but the technological advantage will be reduced.