Israeli citizens abroad push to gain voting rights for upcoming elections

Israeli citizens living abroad are challenging their exclusion from the voter registry for the upcoming elections, a situation many discovered after making travel plans to vote in person. This exclusion, often linked to an administrative “Code 51” designation, removes them from the voter registry despite retaining their citizenship. Ilana Mittman, a dual American-Israeli citizen, discovered her ineligibility after her residency status was altered in 1986 following a routine consular visit where her Israeli ID was taken. She stated, “I didn't know that my biggest right as a citizen - the right to vote - was just robbed from me.”

• A group of approximately 120 affected expats, calling themselves “Our Right to Vote - Code 51,” has launched a multi-stage legal strategy, including a Freedom of Information request to the Interior Ministry and letters to relevant government bodies, to compel the disclosure of criteria for Code 51 and restore their voting status.
• Attorney Gilead Sher, representing the group, argues that “whatever this arbitrary Code 51 stands for or signifies, it cannot override the constitutional right to vote.”
• The Interior Ministry has not provided clear explanations for Code 51, instead pointing to election law requiring voters to be listed as residents with an Israeli address.
• The group plans to file an emergency petition with the Central Elections Commission and the High Court of Justice if administrative remedies are not exhausted by the September 3 deadline for finalizing the voting registry.