How Votes Become Knesset Seats: Understanding Israel's Electoral Math
Translated & summarized from Kan News by baba
Israeli elections convert votes into 120 Knesset seats by dividing valid ballots for parties above the electoral threshold by 120 to determine the votes needed per mandate. Votes for parties below the 3.25% threshold are discarded. Remaining seats are allocated using the Bader-Ofer method, often influenced by surplus vote agreements between parties. The number of votes per mandate varies with each election's turnout and party performance.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- A Knesset mandate, or seat, is calculated by dividing valid votes for parties above the electoral threshold by 120.
- Parties must receive at least 3.25% of valid votes to participate in mandate distribution.
- The number of votes required for a mandate changes with each election based on total valid votes cast.
- Surplus votes are used to allocate remaining seats via the Bader-Ofer method.
- Surplus vote agreements allow parties to combine votes to gain additional mandates.
- The total number of Knesset seats remains fixed at 120.
The process of converting votes cast in Israeli elections into the 120 seats of the Knesset involves several steps, beginning with the counting of valid ballots for parties that have passed the electoral threshold. A 'mandate,' representing one seat in the Knesset, is determined by dividing the total number of valid votes for parties exceeding the 3.25% electoral threshold by 120. This calculation yields the 'general meter,' the base number of votes required for one mandate. For instance, if 4.5 million valid votes are cast for parties that passed the threshold, the general meter would be approximately 37,500 votes per mandate.
However, the exact number of votes per mandate is not fixed before an election, as it depends on the total number of voters, the proportion of valid votes, and how many parties cross the electoral threshold. Votes for parties failing to meet the 3.25% threshold are not included in the mandate distribution. A higher number of votes cast for parties below the threshold effectively lowers the number of votes needed for a mandate among those that passed.
After the initial distribution of mandates based on the general meter, any remaining seats are allocated using the Bader-Ofer method. This method considers the surplus votes each party has beyond what was needed for their initially allocated mandates. Parties with the most surplus votes are awarded the remaining seats.
To maximize their chances of gaining additional seats, parties can enter into surplus vote agreements before the election. These agreements allow two parties to pool their surplus votes, effectively being treated as a single entity for the purpose of distributing the remaining mandates. This can result in a party gaining an extra seat even if, on its own, it wouldn't have had the highest surplus.
The number of mandates always remains 120, but the number of votes required for each mandate fluctuates with each election based on the total valid votes cast for parties that passed the electoral threshold.
