The leadership of the Central Elections Committee has approved arrangements for soldiers to vote while deployed in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza, as well as procedures for safely exercising the right to vote across Israel in the event of missile fire.
The committee, headed by Supreme Court Justice Noam Solberg and including Director General Attorney Dean Livne alongside representatives of the political parties, on Thursday approved a series of regulations related to election procedures for the upcoming October 27 elections.
According to the IDF, soldiers stationed in Lebanon, Gaza or Syria cannot carry their identity cards deep into enemy territory. Therefore, it was decided that soldiers voting at polling stations in the field will be identified using their military identification tags and by another soldier who will verify and confirm the identity of the voter. The entire process will be documented in an official protocol.
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Soldiers can not carry their national identity cards in enemy territory; they will need a fellow soldier to identify them
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
The same protocol will also apply to double envelopes, which are counted at a later stage, allowing the Central Elections Committee additional time to supervise and verify the identification process.
In the event of sirens or missile fire on Election Day, the committee’s leadership decided that voting would be halted, and an election integrity supervisor would activate a camera to monitor the proceedings. Ballots outside the polling station will be placed in a designated envelope, and the polling station secretary or an employee of the Central Elections Committee — rather than a representative of any political party — will be responsible for locking the polling station and moving it to a protected area.
According to Central Elections Committee officials, the goal is to hold voting from the outset inside protected spaces, particularly in locations near conflict zones. The committee will receive access to all relevant public buildings across Israel, but in locations where polling stations are not already located in protected areas, the approved procedure will be implemented, with the process fully documented.
A soldier votes on his base
(Photo: AFP)
The party representatives on the committee’s leadership are attorney Ilan Bombach, representing Likud; Knesset lawmakers Erez Malul of Shas; Vladimir Beliak of Yesh Atid; and Yael Ron Ben Moshe of Blue and White.
Following a letter he sent to the legal adviser of the Central Elections Committee, Likud representative Bombach asked Solberg to issue clear guidelines regarding election bribery and violations of election laws, so the public would know the rules and comply with them.
The request comes against the backdrop of claims and letters Bombach has sent, primarily regarding an initiative encouraging Israelis abroad to come vote and providing them with free accommodation. Members of the coalition fear the initiative could help the liberal camp.
Members of the Central Elections Committee discuss possible threats to the upcoming elections
Earlier this week, ynet reported that, ahead of the elections scheduled for October 27, the Shin Bet established a dedicated team responsible for protecting election integrity. The organization began preparations in recent months and, as part of its role, the new team maintains continuous contact with the Central Elections Committee, police and various regulatory bodies in order to identify and monitor potential threats in advance.
The Shin Bet has identified three main threats during the election period: ideologically motivated attacks, which the agency works to prevent routinely; attempts to disrupt or monitor threats against candidates; and attempts by foreign countries to influence the elections, primarily through cyber activity and the use of bots on social media.
Regarding the third threat, sources said there has been an increase in attempts by hostile countries, including Iran, Russia and China, to encourage Israelis to carry out actions that could inflame tensions and potentially trigger internal conflict while deepening existing divisions.