Coalition vs. CEC: Eliminating Nursing Home Polling Stations and Targeting Overseas Voters
The Likud party and the governing coalition are taking steps to limit voting access for groups perceived as opposition, including the cancellation of polling stations in nursing homes and a campaign to delegitimize the Central Elections Committee.
The appeal by the Likud party, through attorney Ilan Bombach, to the Central Elections Committee (CEC) demanding the publication of "guidelines prohibiting bribery and illegal gifts to solicit the arrival of voters from abroad" is part of a broader coalition strategy. These moves appear intended to suppress voting among demographics perceived as opposing the government.
Pressure on the Electoral Process
Key actions include the decision not to place ballot boxes in nursing homes and assisted living facilities—a practice established during the coronavirus pandemic—as well as reports of efforts to declare the Ra'am party a terrorist organization and an ongoing campaign to delegitimize CEC officials.
Likud has been monitoring tens of thousands of Israelis abroad—liberals and opponents of the judicial overhaul—who view the upcoming elections as critical. The party has mapped social media activity where individuals coordinate hosting or transportation for Israelis returning to vote.
Attorney Ilan Bombach demanded that CEC Chairman Judge Noam Sohlberg issue guidelines prohibiting "free hosting or any other logistical assistance" intended to influence voters. In response, CEC legal advisor Yifat Siminovsky suggested that if criminal activity is suspected, a police complaint should be filed, or a formal petition should be submitted to the committee.
Expert Concerns
Prof. Yaniv Roznai, deputy dean of the Harry Radzyner Law School at Reichman University, warns that these tactics mirror efforts to undermine democratic institutions elsewhere:
"We saw the break-in at the Congress in Brazil and the storming of the Capitol by Donald Trump's supporters in the US, and there is a fear that the ground is being prepared here too for not recognizing election results."
According to Roznai, the delegitimization campaign serves three purposes: preparing the ground to reject election results, exerting a chilling effect on the committee's decision-making, and creating a narrative that any decision unfavorable to the coalition is proof of bias.
