Central Elections Committee Says Minor Ballot Defects Need Not Disqualify Votes

The Central Elections Committee issued instructions to polling-station committees on Tuesday evening saying that minor defects in ballot slips do not automatically make votes invalid. The guidance allows certain damaged or imperfect slips to be counted when the intended party list is clear and the defect does not compromise the voter's secrecy. The committee presidency, headed by Justice Noam Sohlberg, identified examples including tiny holes, dirt, printing faults and scribbling that apparently was not made by the voter. Some differences from the approved sample can also be accepted. The committee said: “The rule is to allow the voter's voice to be included in the results.” The intended list must nevertheless remain clearly identifiable. A defect that could identify an individual voter requires a different procedure. A polling committee must keep the affected slip until counting is finished and check whether another ballot carries the same defect. Matching defective slips can be counted, while a single uniquely marked slip is rejected because it could identify its voter. Decisions on these ballots must be entered in the polling committee's protocol. The instructions concern how polling committees assess slips during the count. They do not give voters permission to add markings or alter their ballots. The procedure distinguishes defects that leave a vote both recognizable and secret from a unique mark that could link the ballot to a particular person.