Arab Sector Voting: Likud Flags 620 Suspected Irregularities

Likud’s election integrity headquarters reported on Tuesday that its network has logged 620 suspected irregularities at polling stations in the Arab sector. These reports were gathered by more than 1,500 representatives stationed across the country to monitor voting procedures.

The breakdown of these incidents shows specific patterns in the complaints. Roughly one-third of the reports involve the recording of personal voter information and the transmission of that data outside the polling stations. Another 66 reports cite issues with ballot papers and envelopes, while 26 complaints focus on difficulties verifying voter identities and the exercise of authority by station committee members. Seventeen reports describe violence or threats, with the remainder covering staffing shortages, campaigning, and documentation problems.

Two specific incidents drew attention regarding physical materials. In Fassuta, officials reported that 10 sealed envelopes went missing from a polling station. In Jadeidi-Makr, staff found a discrepancy of 11 envelopes between the physical count and the recorded number of voters.

Sagi Kaisler, the head of the party’s Arab sector integrity headquarters, criticized instructions from the Central Elections Committee director-general. The directive aimed to prevent overcrowding, but Kaisler argued it could weaken adherence to identification requirements. She stated that the committee was cutting corners where stricter oversight was needed.

Kaisler demanded an immediate investigation into the suspicions and the deployment of independent observers. She said the party wants guarantees of a transparent voting process, noting that hundreds of reports of unauthorized information transmission and missing envelopes had already been received.