Israeli Political Blocs Sign Surplus Vote Pacts to Maximize Knesset Seats

Several Israeli political factions within the "change bloc" have signed "surplus vote agreements" ahead of the upcoming October 27th elections. These agreements are designed to prevent votes from being wasted within the bloc by allocating remaining Knesset seats after the initial vote distribution. The "Yachad" party, led by Naftali Bennett, has signed an agreement with "Yisrael Beiteinu" led by Avigdor Lieberman. Simultaneously, Gadi Eisenkot's "Yashar" party has formed a similar pact with "HaDemocratim" led by Yair Golan.

A surplus vote agreement is a pact between two Knesset lists to divide any seats left over after the initial allocation of votes. For the agreement to be valid, both parties must pass the electoral threshold. The primary goal is to ensure that every vote cast for a party within the bloc contributes to securing seats, thereby maximizing their representation in the Knesset and preventing votes from being lost.

The surplus vote system, also known as the Bader-Ofer method, was introduced in 1973. After the initial distribution of seats based on a calculated threshold per seat, remaining seats are awarded to parties based on a calculation: their total valid votes divided by the number of seats they have already won, plus one. The party with the highest resulting number receives the next available seat. This process continues until all seats are allocated.

While larger parties often benefit from these agreements by securing the additional seat, smaller parties can also gain. This occurs when the smaller party is closer to winning the next seat based on its vote count. A notable instance was in 2021 when Meretz secured an additional seat through a surplus agreement with the Labor party, demonstrating the potential advantages for smaller factions within a bloc.

Looking ahead, it is anticipated that the Haredi parties, Shas and United Torah Judaism, will sign a surplus agreement. Similarly, Arab parties are expected to form their own pact. The Likud party is also reportedly set to sign an agreement with the Religious Zionism party, potentially leaving Otzma Yehudit to sign with Am Israel.