Election day (whether it is elections for the Knesset, primaries, or municipal elections) is a democratic celebration, but it is important to remember that alongside it are important legal rules that apply not only to candidates and parties, but also to donors, guarantors, activists, and volunteers, and failure to comply with them can have severe consequences.
For example, by law, the ability of election candidates to raise donations is limited to statutory caps (for instance, regarding Knesset elections, up to ILS 2,800 from a person and their household members supported by them, together, for an election year, or ILS 1,100 for another year, when it is a party already represented in the Knesset), whether these are monetary or in-kind donations. It is also forbidden to receive a donation from a corporation, anonymously, or in cash. The ability to borrow, when a person signs a guarantee for a party, is also subject to similar rules, and therefore it is very important to arrange the guarantor's rights, collaterals, and repayment mechanisms in advance and in writing, and to ensure that it is not actually an illegal donation. The issue becomes more complex when it is not money but in-kind value. Thus, while personal volunteer activity that is not within the volunteer's occupation (e.g., distributing flyers) is not considered a donation, volunteering within the volunteer's field of occupation (e.g., design services from a designer), providing salaried employees, vehicles, offices, or communication systems may violate the law, and one must legally examine who owns the resource, who bears the cost, what the benefit's value is, and whether the resource belongs to a company, making it a prohibited donation.
There are also restrictions on how election propaganda is published. For example, on election day, written, oral, or other propaganda is prohibited at the polling station, the building's courtyard, the outer fence, and within 5 meters of the entrance gate to the polling station (and in the outer courtyard and fence, 10 meters from the outer walls). Therefore, one must not set up a stand, distribute propaganda material, or carry a propaganda sign in these areas. Publishing support ads in newspapers and online is also limited in quantity, and a support ad ordered by a private individual may also be considered party propaganda. Also on the internet, promotional content published for a fee, even if ordered by a private individual, must be marked as such, and the person responsible for the order, their contact methods, and whether they act on behalf of a candidate or other entity must be indicated and identified according to the law. In a printed ad, the printer's details are also required. It is, of course, important not only to adhere to these rules but also to avoid defamation, privacy infringement, and impersonation. Ahead of the 2026 Knesset elections, a disclosure requirement was added for visual or audio propaganda that was substantially created or edited by digital means and may appear to be authentic documentation. A clear and highly visible disclosure must be attached to videos, images, and voices generated by artificial intelligence.
Organizing a campaign, purchasing advertising, operating a database of political preferences, or organized activity to influence voting may raise questions regarding whether this constitutes a donation, and similarly, activity not coordinated with a party may be subject to rules; before raising funds or purchasing services for such a campaign, it is important to check the legal framework. Sometimes, election-oriented activity that seems innocent may entangle the person who organized it or the interest they tried to promote, and therefore it is extremely important to consult in advance with a law firm familiar with the field.