How Israel’s Knesset Election Works: Voting, Seats and Government Formation

Israel votes for party lists in a single nationwide constituency. This guide explains the process from checking your polling station to the negotiations that follow the allocation of 120 Knesset seats.

Israel’s election for the 26th Knesset is scheduled for October 27, 2026. The Central Elections Committee administers the vote, publishes instructions for voters and oversees the process that turns ballot papers into seats in parliament. The election date is confirmed; the eventual composition of a government is determined only after voting and the subsequent constitutional process. The Knesset’s published explanation of the electoral system sets out these voting and allocation rules. Its Basic Law: The Government governs the formation deadlines.

One ballot for a party list

Voters choose a party list, rather than an individual constituency representative or a prime minister. The entire country forms one electoral constituency, and the Knesset has 120 seats. Parties submit ranked lists of candidates before the election.

Inside the voting booth, a voter selects the ballot slip for the chosen list and places it in the official envelope. The envelope then goes into the ballot box. The order of candidates on each list determines who enters parliament when that list receives seats.

A vote therefore contributes to a party’s national total. It does not directly appoint a government or settle which politician will receive the first opportunity to assemble one. Those decisions follow the publication of results and consultations with the president.

Who can vote

Israeli citizens aged 18 or older on election day can vote if they are included in the electoral register. Registration is generally automatic, based on the population register. Voters should check their assigned station and the official identification requirements before leaving home.

Most people vote at the station assigned to their registered address. Special arrangements exist for eligible groups, including soldiers, hospital patients, prisoners and people who need accessible polling facilities. Each arrangement has its own requirements; it is not a general entitlement to vote at any station.

Israel does not offer ordinary postal or online voting to the public. Voting abroad is limited to legally defined groups connected with state service and other authorised assignments. An Israeli citizen travelling or living abroad does not qualify merely by being overseas. These include eligible diplomatic personnel.

Finding the station and checking hours

The official polling station locator identifies where an eligible voter is registered to vote. A poll card can help locate the station, but voters should follow the committee’s instructions about acceptable identification rather than treating the card as a substitute for it.

Most stations open from 07:00 to 22:00. Some stations in smaller localities or institutions operate shorter hours. Check the specific station, particularly when relying on special voting arrangements, and allow time for travel and any queue.

Accessible voting information is published separately. Anyone using a station outside their ordinary assignment should confirm eligibility and the required procedure in advance. This is particularly useful for hospital voting, where the official rules include documentation requirements.

From ballot boxes to verified totals

Ordinary ballots are counted after polling closes, with results passed through the official reporting and checking process. Early figures are provisional and may change as additional ballots are counted and results are verified.

Many special voting arrangements use double envelopes. The outer envelope allows officials to check the voter’s eligibility and prevent duplicate voting. It is separated from the inner ballot envelope before the vote is counted, preserving the secrecy of the choice.

These checks mean that election night figures are not the final certified result. The published timetable for this election lists November 4 for publication of the official results. Readers comparing totals should check whether they refer to partial counts, preliminary results or the final publication.

The threshold and the 120 seats

A list must receive at least 3.25% of valid votes to qualify for seats. Blank or invalid ballots are not valid votes for this calculation. Votes for lists below the threshold do not produce seats for those lists.

Seats are allocated proportionally among the qualifying lists. An initial quota is calculated from their combined votes, and whole seats are assigned first. The remaining seats are distributed under the Bader Ofer method, which uses a largest averages calculation.

Two lists can register a surplus vote agreement. If both clear the threshold, the agreement lets them be treated together at the relevant stage of allocating additional seats. It does not merge their candidate lists or allow a party below the threshold to enter the Knesset.

How a government is formed

After consulting parliamentary factions, the president gives a Knesset member the task of forming a government. The first candidate has 28 days, with a possible extension of up to 14 days. The largest party does not automatically receive the premiership.

If that attempt fails, the law provides further routes, including another candidate and a later 21 day period in which 61 members can request that a willing member receive the task. A candidate chosen through that route has 14 days. Failure of the process can lead to another election.

Parties commonly seek a coalition holding at least 61 seats for a working majority. A proposed government must win a Knesset confidence vote before taking office. Election results establish the parliamentary arithmetic; agreements between parties determine whether a governing coalition can be assembled.