Israel Election Results Expected Thursday After Double Envelope Count

Final results of the Israeli elections are anticipated by Thursday evening, following the completion of the count for over half a million "double envelopes." These envelopes contain ballots from soldiers, diplomats, police, and prison guards, and their inclusion is expected to alter the preliminary results, which currently show 77.6% of regular votes tallied. The double envelopes, typically representing 3% to 5% of the total vote, can shift Knesset seat allocations by at least one or two mandates. Due to the ongoing war, the Central Elections Committee estimates the number of double envelopes to be between 600,000 and 650,000, a significant increase from the approximately 460,000 in the 2022 elections. This rise is attributed to the large numbers of reservists and evacuated residents who were unable to vote at their registered polling stations. The military spokesperson announced that 79.9% of eligible soldiers had voted at over 890 military polling stations. Preliminary results indicate that Netanyahu's bloc secured 54 seats, Eisenkot's bloc received 49, and Arab parties garnered 17 seats, though these figures are subject to change after the double envelope count. The addition of these votes will also increase the total vote count per seat and raise the threshold for representation.