Likud took Deputy Chief Justice Noam Solberg to the High Court on Thursday, challenging his ban on party observers sending real-time updates about voter turnout from polling stations.
Solberg, who chairs the Central Elections Committee, issued the prohibition citing privacy concerns. Likud's legal team, Ilan Bombach and Ofek Brock, filed the petition arguing the move overstepped his authority and blindsided parties mid-campaign.
The crux of Likud's complaint is straightforward: Solberg isn't empowered to make privacy rulings that fall outside his statutory role managing elections. "Protecting voter privacy, in itself and separate from the powers and duties the law grants the Elections Committee chairman for managing elections and ensuring their integrity, does not fall within his statutory responsibilities," the petition states.
Likud also hammered the timing. Parties and candidate lists organized their election-day operations based on practices from previous cycles. Suddenly changing the rules in the middle of an active campaign, they argue, violates principles of certainty and stability in election law.
The party asked the court to either cancel Solberg's decision outright or postpone implementation to a future election cycle. "A fundamental change to a longstanding practice in the midst of an election campaign" requires adequate notice, Likud contended, not an eleventh-hour directive that upends established operations.
