Religion Magazine

Cameras in Polling Stations and Invalidating Parties from Running

By Gldmeier @gldmeier
The Likud has been trying to implement a plan to install cameras in election polling stations in Arab neighborhoods, claiming this will prevent fraud that is widespread in those areas. This has bene hotly debated and is going back and forth between the electoral board officials between those who support it and those who do not. Some say it will prevent fraud while others say it will dissuade people from voting.
Personally I have no problem with cameras in the polling stations. We have cameras following us our entire lives nowadays, why not also in the polling stations? I would be fine with it as long as it does not harm the authenticity of the secret ballot - meaning, the camera cannot be installed in a way that would remove secrecy from the actual vote and reveal what the voter is voting. As well, the cameras should not be installed in selected areas, chosen by one party or by one side of the political map. If cameras are to be installed, they should be installed in polling stations throughout the country. Let everybody come under the same scrutiny, and if there is a suspicion or accusation, the cameras can be checked.
On another note regarding elections, there have been numerous attempts to appeal to the electoral board to invalidate various party lists form running in the elections, for a variety of reasons, usually claiming some sort of racist bias held by the party in question.
I think there should be a cost to appealing against another parties validity to run. If you can prove that they are invalid and your claim is accepted, all is good. If, however, your claim is rejected and you did not "make your case" well enough to invalidate the party you were trying to invalidate, you should be fined somehow - not monetarily but some sort of black mark on your own party - maybe lose a spot, someone gets knocked off the list, or something like that. It should cost the party something to attack another party like that.
What made me think of this is the attempt to invalidate Otzma Yehudit. Initially it was fine, but after the case was lost and the electoral board said Otzma can run, now parties are appealing the decision and still trying to invalidate them. And there are other parties appealing against other parties just because they don't like them, not for any reason that is likely to be accepted.
The parties are using the electoral board as a tool to tie parties up and keep them busy with nonsense, and this should not be allowed. You want to appeal against another party? Fine, but either make your case or you will lose out so it better be worthwhile and not just a way to distract each other.
------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel ------------------------------------------------------

Back to Featured Articles on Logo Paperblog