Sohlberg Pulls the Plug: The Dramatic Decision That Could Cost Likud and Shas Seats

Central Elections Committee Chairman Judge Noam Sohlberg has banned the real-time transfer of polling station reports to party headquarters, citing voter privacy concerns. The decision, made following a request by attorney Shahar Ben Meir, is expected to primarily harm Likud, Shas, and United Torah Judaism, which invested millions in data systems. Experts estimate that parties will have to revert to traditional methods of voter mobilization.

Central Elections Committee Chairman Judge Noam Sohlberg has banned the real-time transfer of polling station reports to party headquarters, citing voter privacy concerns. The decision was made following a request 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 representatives' role 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 apps like Elector, will have to revert 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 request was submitted under 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 edge will be reduced.