IDF Soldiers Begin Voting in 26th Knesset Elections
Translated & summarized from Ynet by baba
IDF soldiers commenced voting on Wednesday for the 26th Knesset elections, with 850 military polling stations established across bases. Voting will continue until polls close on election day, with procedures involving dual envelopes for secrecy. Locked ballot boxes will be transferred to the Knesset for counting by the Central Elections Committee, ensuring IDF non-involvement in the tally.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- 850 military polling stations opened for IDF soldiers to vote in the 26th Knesset elections.
- IDF Election Officer Vered Ben Yehuda emphasized enabling secret voting during operational activity.
- Soldiers can vote at civilian polling stations or any military station once.
- Military voting uses a dual-envelope system to maintain ballot secrecy.
- Locked ballot boxes will be transferred to the Knesset for counting by the Elections Committee.
Israeli soldiers began casting their ballots on Wednesday for the 26th Knesset elections. The IDF spokesperson announced that 850 military polling stations have been set up across various bases to enable all service members to exercise their right to vote. Approximately a quarter of these military polling stations are mobile units. The voting period for soldiers will continue until the general polls close on election day.
IDF Election Officer Colonel Vered Ben Yehuda stated at the opening of the polling stations, "Our mission is to enable all IDF service members to exercise their democratic right to a secret ballot, even during operational activity and combat beyond the border. The IDF is a national army that will do everything necessary to ensure the elections are held properly."
Soldiers are permitted to vote at civilian polling stations corresponding to their registered address with the Ministry of Interior, or alternatively, at any military polling station, provided they vote only once. Voting at military polling stations involves two envelopes: a blue one for the ballot paper, placed behind a screen, and a white one containing the soldier's personal details, into which the blue envelope is inserted.
After the voting day concludes, the military polling stations will be securely transferred, locked, to the Central Elections Committee at the Knesset for vote counting. The locked ballot boxes will be managed by trained regional election officers and remain under their supervision until the final tally at the Knesset. During the counting process, the blue envelope with the ballot is counted, while the white envelope with the voter's details is destroyed. The entire process of opening ballot boxes and counting votes will be conducted by the Elections Committee, without IDF involvement.
Mentioned
