High Court Hears Challenge Over Scrapped Rule Guaranteeing Ballot Boxes in Retirement Homes

Israel's High Court of Justice heard arguments this week over a petition challenging the Knesset's decision to drop a requirement that polling stations be set up inside retirement homes and assisted-living facilities, The Times of Israel reported, with petitioners arguing the change strips away a basic voting right for some of the country's most vulnerable residents.

The case was brought by 56 elderly citizens living in care facilities, joined by several organizations that advocate for seniors, against the Knesset, the Central Elections Commission and the attorney general. The requirement was first introduced in 2021 because of the pandemic and continued in 2022 for facilities housing at least 75 residents, but the Knesset chose not to renew it this time, a decision that could affect an estimated 35,000 to 37,000 people.

"Fifty percent of seniors have disabilities, and this decision is simply opposed to an entire sector of society," one accessibility advocate told the court. High Court President Isaac Amit appeared skeptical of the Knesset's reasoning, noting that "the previous arrangement worked great in past elections."

Election officials told the court that only about half of relevant facilities have so far agreed to host polling stations on their own initiative, with one calling it "a hard thing to do" to arrange ad hoc solutions facility by facility. The court has yet to issue a ruling.