Several British Jews say they were wrongly denied the right to vote in this week’s World Zionist Congress elections after their registrations were rejected days before the online vote. Some have successfully appealed the decision.
The UK Area Election Committee (AEC), which oversees the vote in Britain, confirmed that “a very small proportion” of the 15,985 individuals who registered were disqualified.
Several voters told the JC they were contesting their exclusion, with some threatening legal action unless their registration was urgently reinstated.
The AEC said 88 per cent of voters successfully received their digital ballot. Of the remaining 12 per cent, the committee said 40 per cent had failed to pay the £1 registration fee, while another 40 per cent had not provided valid photo ID – both required under the WZO rules.
Registrants were notified by email if their applications had been rejected. One email, seen by the JC, stated: “We regret to inform you that in your case, after careful review, your registration was denied as it did not comply with the regulations and requirements set by the Zionist Federation of the UK and the Mizrachi Federation UK.”
Those rejected were given until 10am on Tuesday to appeal – a window some felt was too narrow, given that voting concludes two days later, on Thursday.
One voter, Rakheli Bat Sarah, a member of Edgware and Hendon Reform Synagogue (EHRS), initially had her registration denied. “When I got the email saying voting had commenced but my registration was rejected, I immediately thought I was being profiled based on my name,” she told the JC. But after contacting the AEC on Sunday, she received confirmation the following day that her registration had been accepted and that she was able to vote. “I think I jumped to conclusions,” she said.
Other rejected voters sent identical letters to the AEC, accusing the committee of acting unfairly and demanding their registration be reinstated. Some warned they would escalate the matter to the Central Elections Committee (CEC) in Jerusalem, and if necessary, to the Zionist Supreme Court.
A spokesperson for the AEC insisted that the process was fair and consistent with official guidelines. In a statement, the committee said: “These rejections were made in accordance with the published election regulations and included cases where individuals submitted false identification, ID that did not belong to them, or documentation that otherwise did not meet the eligibility criteria.”
They recognised that “some individuals may not have seen the original emails” informing them their registration was rejected.
But the AEC added that 20 per cent of those contacted did resubmit their registration, “demonstrating that the communications were received and acted upon by a substantial proportion of those affected. This was a key factor in the AEC’s decision not to extend the appeals process further.”
The number of rejected appeals amounted to just 1.1 per cent of total registrations, it said.
“The AEC remains committed to upholding a fair, transparent, and secure election process, and thanks the community for its engagement in this important democratic exercise.”
The WZO elections in the UK were delayed over controversy amid registration irregularities. The AEC suspended the Orthodox Eretz Hakodesh slate over alleged voter fraud – a decision later overturned by the CEC in Israel, allowing the slate back onto the ballot.
Voting runs online from July 6 to July 10. Registered voters received a unique token via email to cast their ballot. Nine slates are standing: Eretz Hakodesh, Hanoar Hatzioni, Israel Solidarity Campaign UK, Jabotinsky’s Israel, Jewish Labour – Meretz, Kol Israel, Orthodox Israel Coalition – Mizrachi, Our Israel – Liberal, Masorti and Reform, and Shas Olami.
Britain has just 19 out of 525 seats at the World Zionist Congress, which is dominated by Israeli and American delegates. The WZO Congress is due to meet in October in Jerusalem and helps to allocate £750 million annually through its stakes in the Jewish Agency and Jewish National Fund.
The more than 15,000 people registered to vote is a dramatic increase from the few hundred who are believed to have taken part in the UK’s last contested WZO vote in 2006. Typically, UK groups have negotiated seat allocations behind closed doors and based them on membership numbers rather than going to the ballot.
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