While no date has been set for elections yet, the Central Elections Commission has been preparing for weeks for the possibility that a vote would be held soon – and one of the ideas it has been considering is the implementation of electronic voting, at least to some extent, in the upcoming elections.
However, it’s unlikely that electronic voting will be ready in time for snap elections which are likely to take place in the coming months.
Speaking on Channel 10 earlier Tuesday, Attorney Orly Ades, head of the Commission, said that officials were “ready for any and every development.”
As the political crisis of the past few weeks worsened, she said, the Commission intensified its preparations. Among the tasks the Commission must now take on is the establishment of 18 regional election committees to handle voting issues.
One thing that could help streamline things, she said, was the implementation of electronic voting. Israeli elections are conducted using slips of paper representing parties sealed in an envelope, under the supervision of party representatives in each voting place.
According to Ades, “we intend to change this. I am part of a subcommittee which is working on this. I doubt it will be ready for this election, but it will be implemented in the future, I believe.”