An Arab man casts his ballot in Israel’s general elections on April 9, 2019 in the village of Kafir Qasim, Israel. Image by Amir Levy/Getty Images

JERUSALEM (JTA) — Cameras cannot be operated at polling stations, the head of Israel’s Central Elections Committee decided.

The decision is directed at the Likud party, which had planned to place cameras in more than 1,000 polling stations in Arab communities.

During the April election, Likud activists placed more than 1,200 cameras hidden in polling stations or on observers.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Likud officials said the cameras were aimed at preventing voter fraud. Critics of the practice said it was meant to lower Arab voter turnout and invalidate Arab votes.

The Central Election Committee chairman, Hanan Melcer, said in his ruling that such a practice would require legislation. His decision comes after Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit said there was no legal authority to place cameras in voting stations.

Melcer, a Supreme Court judge, wrote in his ruling that he would be in favor of a pilot program in which Central Elections Committee staff would visit polling stations with cameras to ensure fair voting.

Adalah-The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, the Israel Democracy Institute, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel and the Movement for Quality Government appealed to the Central Elections Committee to ban Likud from placing cameras in voting stations.

In some cases, cameras are permitted after the polls close while the ballots are being counted. But everyone involved must be informed of the filming, which is then noted in the polling station’s minutes.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount