IDF Prepares for Knesset Elections with Hundreds of Polling Stations

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is making extensive preparations to facilitate the upcoming 26th Knesset elections, even amidst challenging operational realities. This includes establishing polling stations in areas where forces are operating beyond Israeli borders. The IDF will deploy approximately 850 polling stations, an increase from the 709 used in the previous election. Early voting for soldiers will commence on the evening of October 20 and continue for seven days, concluding on the general election day, October 27. Polling stations will be set up across all IDF units to ensure that both career soldiers and active reservists can exercise their right to vote, even while on operational duty.

About 75 percent of the polling stations will be stationary, with the remainder being mobile. More than 200 polling stations are designated for early voting, particularly in locations where operational complexities might prevent soldiers from reaching a polling station on election day. The preparations also encompass setting up polling stations in operational zones beyond borders, including Lebanon, Gaza, and Syria, as well as accommodating soldiers on missions abroad. Those on short-term missions will be able to vote early, while those already overseas will follow existing procedures.

The effort is led by the IDF's Elections Officer, Colonel Verd Ben Yehuda, who also heads the IDF Employees Employment Center. A special staff team, supported by regional election directorates, has been working for months on planning and coordinating the arrangements for each sector. The operation is expected to involve hundreds of election officers and approximately 3,000 soldiers trained to serve on polling committees. Each station will be managed by a trained committee familiar with the necessary voting procedures. Mobile polling stations will travel between units according to pre-determined routes and schedules, based on the operational situation, and will be accompanied by an armed officer or NCO. To maintain the integrity of the process, supervisors have been instructed to ensure polling stations are secured during transit between voting points.

Soldiers will have the option to vote at either a military or civilian polling station. The use of double envelopes will verify that only eligible voters cast ballots and that each voter does so only once. The IDF estimates that approximately 73 percent of service members will vote, consistent with previous elections. Information regarding voting procedures and rights will be disseminated to soldiers through various channels, including the IDF website and internal communications. The army emphasizes that the election system's role is to enable and ensure the integrity of the voting process, not to engage with voters' political stances. Concurrently, the IDF intends to enforce the prohibition of political expressions within the military framework to preserve its state-oriented character and keep it out of political discourse.