Israeli Election Costs Total $1 Billion, With $800 Million Lost Productivity
Translated & summarized from Calcalist by baba
Israel's 26th Knesset elections will cost the economy and state budget an estimated 3.7 billion shekels ($1 billion USD). The majority of the cost, 2.7 billion shekels, is due to lost productivity from a national day of rest. The Central Elections Committee budget is 690 million shekels for logistics, including 12,000 polling stations and staff. Parties will also receive about 250 million shekels in state funding.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- The 26th Knesset elections will cost Israel's economy and state budget approximately 3.7 billion shekels.
- Lost productivity due to a national day of rest accounts for about 2.7 billion shekels of the election cost.
- The Central Elections Committee has a budget of 690 million shekels for logistical preparations and operations.
- Over 11.5 million ballots were printed for each of the competing lists.
- Parties will receive an estimated 250 million shekels in state election funding.
The upcoming 26th Knesset elections are estimated to cost the Israeli economy and state budget approximately 3.7 billion shekels (about $1 billion USD). A significant portion of this cost, around 2.7 billion shekels, stems from the economic impact of a national day of rest, during which employed individuals receive wages for not working, and those who do work often receive double pay.
The Central Elections Committee has a budget of 690 million shekels allocated for the extensive logistical preparations. This includes operating 12,000 polling stations and compensating thousands of workers involved in vote counting and central operations. Printing 11.5 million ballots for each of the competing lists cost 7 million shekels, with individual ballots costing 30 agorot (less than one cent USD) each. The blue ballot boxes themselves cost 80 shekels to produce and print.
Payments to polling station committee members and secretaries amount to 83 million and 95 million shekels, respectively. To ensure election integrity, approximately 5.5 million shekels have been allocated for oversight expenses, with an additional 32 million shekels for employing election integrity supervisors at polling stations. The budget also includes 10 million shekels for cyberattack defense.
Furthermore, the state provides parties with election funding estimated at a quarter of a billion shekels. Despite these substantial expenditures, parties require at least 160,000 votes to pass the electoral threshold, with the threshold increasing as voter turnout and valid votes rise.
