Private member's bill · 17th Knesset · published as law 14 July 2008
חוק הרשויות המקומיות (בחירות) (תיקון מס' 37), התשס"ח-2008Law on Local Authorities (Elections) (Amendment No. 37), 2008 · automatic translation · suggest a correction
Status: התקבלה בקריאה שלישית
Topics: Government and elections*, Local government* · * from the Knesset's official law classification
What the sponsors propose
The existing law provides that a person shall not be registered in the voters' register of a local authority if, during the 12 months before election day, they were registered as a resident of another local authority in which elections were held during that period. According to the sponsors, due to the large number of local councils and their elections within a period of one year, a resident might vote in one local authority and, after changing their address within less than a year, also vote in another local authority. It is therefore proposed to extend the aforementioned period from 12 months to 18 months, in order to prevent residents from voting in more than one local authority during the 18 months preceding election day.
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Hebrew original
החוק הקיים קובע כי אדם לא יירשם בפנקס הבוחרים של רשות מקומית אם במשך 12 חודשים לפני יום הבחירות היה רשום כתושב רשות מקומית אחרת שבה התקיימו בחירות באותה תקופה. לדברי המציעים, בשל ריבוי המועצות המקומיות והבחירות להן בפרק זמן של שנה, עלול תושב להצביע ברשות מקומית אחת ולאחר שינוי כתובתו בתוך פחות משנה להצביע גם ברשות מקומית אחרת. לכן מוצע להאריך את התקופה האמורה מ-12 חודשים ל-18 חודשים, כדי למנוע מתושבים להצביע ביותר מרשות מקומית אחת במשך 18 החודשים שלפני יום הבחירות.
An automatic summary of the explanatory notes written by the bill's sponsors. These are their arguments, not an official Knesset summary. · The bill on the Knesset website · write to the author
Sponsors
Readings
- 9 January 2008 · First reading · להעביר את הצעת החוק לוועדההצעת חוק הרשויות המקומיות (בחירות) (תיקון - פנקס בוחרים), התשס"ח-2007Bill Local Authorities (Elections) (Amendment - Voters Register), 2007autoBill passed first reading16 for · 0 against
- 25 March 2008 · First reading · להעביר את הצעת החוק לוועדההצעת חוק הרשויות המקומיות (בחירות) (תיקון מס' 36) (פנקס בוחרים), התשס"ח-2008Local Authorities (Elections) Law (Amendment No. 36) (Voters Register) Bill, 2008autoBill passed first reading13 for · 0 against
- 7 July 2008 · Third reading · אישור החוקהצעת חוק הרשויות המקומיות (בחירות) (תיקון מס' 37), התשס"ח-2008Bill on Local Authorities (Elections) (Amendment No. 37), 2008autoLaw passed7 for · 1 against
What was said in the plenum
The bill seeks to extend from 12 to 18 months the period during which a person registered as a resident of one local authority, in which elections were held, cannot register in the voter registry of another local authority, and to apply this restriction also to regional councils and to those who change address in order to receive benefits. The debate in the second and third readings focused on the claim that the committee did not hold a discussion on the amendments that were promised - particularly an exemption for elected officials and for those who actually move residence - before bringing the law to a vote.
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Hebrew original
הצעת החוק מבקשת להאריך מ-12 ל-18 חודשים את התקופה שבה אדם הרשום כתושב רשות מקומית אחת, שבה התקיימו בחירות, לא יוכל להירשם בפנקס הבוחרים של רשות מקומית אחרת, ולהחיל הגבלה זו גם על מועצות אזוריות ועל מי שמשנה כתובת לשם קבלת טובות הנאה. הדיון בקריאה השנייה והשלישית התמקד בטענה כי הוועדה לא קיימה דיון בתיקונים שהובטחו - בפרט פטור לנבחרי ציבור ולמי שעובר דירה בפועל - בטרם העלאת החוק להצבעה.
Arguments for
- The law is intended to prevent the abuse of fictitious address changes in order to influence the results of elections in a local authority to which a person does not truly belong.Avraham Michaeli (Shas), Yakov Margi (Shas), Moshe Gafni (United Torah Judaism), Nissim Zeev (Shas), Ophir Pines-Paz (Labor)
- Extending the period to 18 months and applying it also to regional councils will reduce the phenomenon of moving large groups of people between localities close to the election date in order to influence their results.Yakov Margi (Shas), Ophir Pines-Paz (Labor)
- The proposed amendment to the Population Registry Law, which requires a declaration and verification of documents in the case of a second change of address within less than a year, will also reduce the phenomenon of fictitious address changes for the purpose of receiving benefits and tax advantages.Ophir Pines-Paz (Labor)
Arguments against
- The law as worded may harm the basic democratic right of a person who actually moved residence with his family to influence the management of the locality in which he currently resides.Moshe Gafni (United Torah Judaism)
- The restriction may prevent a locality from bringing in an elected official from outside to head the authority, even in a genuine case rather than an attempt to manipulate voting, thereby harming the locality itself.Moshe Gafni (United Torah Judaism)
- The extended period of 18 months is too long and also harms those who moved residence genuinely and not for election purposes, even if the period were shorter, such as 12 months.Nissim Zeev (Shas)
- The committee and the sponsor breached a promise made in the plenum and in the committee that the restriction would not apply to elected officials and would be limited for them to six months only, and there was no proper discussion of this issue and of the issue of those who actually move residence before the law's approval for second and third reading.Moshe Gafni (United Torah Judaism)
Who spoke (5)
| Member | Faction | Readings | Speeches | In the final vote |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avraham Michaeli | Shas coalition | First reading | 1 | for |
| Yakov Margi | Shas coalition | First reading | 1 | no record |
| Moshe Gafni | United Torah Judaism opposition | First reading, Third reading | 4 | against |
| Nissim Zeev | Shas coalition | First reading | 1 | for |
| Ophir Pines-Paz | Labor coalition | Third reading | 1 | for |
An automatic summary of the plenum transcripts: the debate on the bill at every reading it was voted on. Arguments are given as the speakers made them; this is not an assessment. The list of speakers comes from the transcript, without a model. Transcripts of the sittings: 1, 2, 3 · write to the author
Reservations, sections and other votes (1)
In order. Votes on reservations and individual sections are shown separately from the vote on the bill as a whole.
- 7 July 2008 · Second reading · קריאה שנייההצעת חוק הרשויות המקומיות (בחירות) (תיקון מס' 37), התשס"ח-2008Bill on Local Authorities (Elections) (Amendment No. 37), 2008auto7 for · 1 againstVote on sections of the bill