Unacceptable Voting Delays in Arab Localities
On election day, October 27, 2026, ACRI submitted three urgent appeals to Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg, the Chair of the Central Elections Committee, following reports of significant delays at polling stations in Arab localities and concerns that the delays were deliberate. The reports indicated that the voter identification and registration procedures were proceeding inexplicably slowly, resulting in lengthy lines. For example, at the Segev Shalom Comprehensive High School in a Bedouin town in the Negev, waiting times of four to five hours were reported, as well as police officers and National Guard personnel restricting voters’ entry to the polling station area.
In the appeals, ACRI Attorney Elza Bugnet warned that the delays infringed on the right to vote by causing those waiting to leave, and deterring additional voters. We demanded that inspectors be urgently dispatched to investigate the delays. We also asked that the guidelines for improving the management of voting lines be translated into Arabic and be distributed.
ACRI’s appeals, October 27, 2026 (Heb)
