Israel Opens Polling Stations for Election to the 26th Knesset

Polling stations opened across Israel at 07:00 on Tuesday, October 27, as voting began for the 26th Knesset. The electorate comprises 7,331,981 eligible voters, with 36 lists competing for the parliament's 120 seats. More than 12,000 polling stations are serving voters nationwide. Most polling stations are scheduled to remain open until 22:00. In communities with no more than 350 eligible voters, the voting window is 08:00 to 20:00, while some special polling stations have shorter hours. Voters already waiting in line at closing time may still cast their ballots. Schools, community centers and other public buildings are being used as voting locations. Acting Central Elections Committee director-general Dean Livne described an operation involving nearly 100,000 election-day and regional-committee staff. Livne said: “The parties employ another 200,000 people.” Approximately 450 million ballot slips were printed using about 250 tons of paper. Special voting arrangements cover displaced residents of Be’eri, Kfar Aza, Nir Oz and Holit, as well as hospitalized patients, nursing-home residents and people with limited mobility. The first results are expected overnight after most polling stations close. An estimated 600,000 to 650,000 double-envelope votes are expected to be counted separately, with their totals potentially affecting the allocation of seats. Election officials hope to complete the count by Thursday afternoon.