Israel's Election Day: Voting Hours, Free Transport, and Weather Forecast

Preparations are complete across Israel for the upcoming elections to form the 26th Knesset. On election day, Tuesday, 7,331,981 eligible voters are expected to cast ballots at 12,018 polling stations for one of 36 competing lists. Most polling stations will open at 7 a.m. and close at 10 p.m., with earlier closing times of 8 p.m. in smaller towns, hospitals, prisons, and nursing homes. The Central Elections Committee will manage the extensive logistical process following the polls' closure.

For voters who did not receive a voter notification, polling station locations can be verified on the Interior Ministry's website using an ID number, or by calling 1-800-101975 or 073-2458358. The Central Elections Committee website also lists polling stations and their operating hours. Displaced individuals who have not yet returned home can vote at their original residence's polling station, a dedicated station for the displaced, or an accessible polling station if they meet eligibility criteria. Special polling stations are established for communities evacuated from Be'eri, Kfar Aza, Nir Oz, and Holit. Soldiers can vote at their military base or their registered polling station, while police officers can vote at any station nationwide by showing their ID card. Residents of nursing homes with over 50 individuals can vote on-site, and those with mobility issues in facilities without polling stations can use any accessible station. Patients in hospitals will have 250 polling stations available in facilities with at least 50 beds.

While the voter notification is helpful, it is not required to vote. Identification can be proven with a valid ID card, driver's license, Israeli passport, or military ID. Police officers can also use their ID card. Of the 12,018 polling stations, 6,208 are accessible, with 3,620 specifically designated for individuals with mobility challenges. Voters with mobility issues can use these stations even if not registered there, by using a special outer envelope. Those with non-visible mobility issues may need to sign a declaration. The Central Elections Committee website provides a map to locate accessible polling stations.

To ensure a vote is not invalidated, ballots must adhere to the Central Elections Committee's specifications for printing, size, color, and shape. Ballots printed at home, cut from newspapers, or distributed by activists outside polling stations will be disqualified. Parties can print their own ballots if they meet the specifications. Voters are advised to take ballots from behind the curtain inside the polling station, place only one ballot for a single list in the envelope without writing on it, and avoid using multiple identical ballots for the same list, as only one will be counted.

If a party's ballots run out, blank white papers are available. Voters can write the party's letters or name using a blue pen for a protest vote; otherwise, the ballot will be invalidated. Protest votes must meet these criteria to be counted.

Free public transportation will be available on intercity bus lines exceeding 15 kilometers and on Israel Railways starting Tuesday at 8 p.m. until the end of election day services. Intrastate bus travel will remain paid. The weather forecast for election day predicts a drop in temperatures to seasonal averages, with local rain expected, particularly in the south and east, potentially accompanied by thunderstorms, strong winds, and hail. Flash floods are possible in southern Negev wadis, the Arava region, Judean Desert, and the Dead Sea area.

Vote counting begins immediately after polls close at 10 p.m. Preliminary results are expected overnight, with final results announced after counting double envelopes, which are used for voting outside one's registered polling station. The Central Elections Committee is legally required to publish official results in the official register within eight days of the election, by November 4, 2026, though they anticipate finishing counting by Thursday noon. An estimated 600,000 to 650,000 Israelis will use double envelopes, a record number that could influence up to 15 Knesset seats, potentially shifting one or two seats based on past elections. The composition of these voters, including soldiers, diplomats, police, and prison staff, often impacts the distribution of votes, with a lower proportion of Haredi and Arab voters compared to the general population, and a majority of active IDF soldiers.