IDF Prepares for Overseas Voting for Soldiers in Upcoming Elections

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is making extensive preparations to enable soldiers to vote in the upcoming elections, with over 800 polling stations to be set up across operational zones and units. Early voting for military personnel will commence on October 20 and last for seven days, concluding on the general election day, October 27. This initiative aims to ensure that all career soldiers and reservists can exercise their right to vote, even while engaged in operational duties.

For the first time, voting will be possible even while crossing borders, with stationary and mobile polling stations deployed wherever soldiers are located. These mobile stations will travel between units according to a predetermined schedule, accompanied by an armed officer or NCO for security. The ballot box will remain locked during transit between locations.

Soldiers will have the option to vote at either a military or a civilian polling station. The voting process will utilize double envelopes to verify voter eligibility and prevent multiple voting. The entire election operation within the IDF is overseen by Colonel Vered Ben Yehuda, who also serves as head of the IDF Employee Employment Center. Hundreds of election officers and approximately 3,000 soldiers, trained as poll workers, will manage the process, with each polling station staffed by a committee of four soldiers.

The IDF emphasized that the election staff's sole focus is on facilitating the voting process and maintaining its integrity, remaining strictly neutral regarding political content or voters' stances. The military stressed that elections within the army will uphold its state-like character and the principle of remaining outside political discourse.