Israel Election Countdown: 7.3 Million Eligible Voters Registered

With six days remaining until the 26th Knesset elections, Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics has released data on eligible voters. According to the Central Elections Committee, approximately 7.3 million Israeli citizens are eligible to vote. Of these, about 6.5 million reside permanently in Israel, with the remaining 810,000 living abroad. Since the last elections in November 2022, the number of eligible voters residing in Israel has increased by 5.4%, or roughly 333,000 people.

Demographically, about 5 million eligible voters in Israel are Jewish (77%), including approximately 684,000 (13.6%) who are Haredi. Haredim constitute 10.5% of all eligible voters. Arab eligible voters number around 1.15 million (18%), while 5% are classified as "other," including non-Arab Christians, individuals of other faiths, and those without a religious classification in the population registry. Age distribution shows 15.1% are between 18-24, 27.6% between 25-39, 31% between 40-59, and 26.3% are 60 and older.

The highest proportion of eligible voters relative to population is in Metula (83.8%), while the lowest is in the Druze village of Mas'ada in the northern Golan Heights (30.1%). Most large cities with over 100,000 residents have between 70% and 80% eligible voters. Jerusalem (39.2%), Beit Shemesh (47.1%), and Bnei Brak (50.4%) show significantly lower rates, attributed to their young age demographics and, in Jerusalem's case, the legal status of East Jerusalem Arabs who are ineligible to vote.

Recent polls indicate Gadi Eisenkot's "Yashar" party leading with 20 mandates, followed by the Likud with 18. Naftali Bennett's "Together" gained two mandates to reach 14, with "Democrats" and the "Joint List" each at 9. Israel Beiteinu has 8 mandates, Religious Zionism, Otzma Yehudit, and Shas each have 7, and Ra'am has 6. "Amcha Yisrael" and "Miluimnikim-HaKalkalit" are projected to pass the electoral threshold with 4 mandates each.

Bloc analysis shows the opposition led by Eisenkot with 51 mandates and the coalition led by Netanyahu with 50. Arab parties hold 15 mandates, and Hendel and Zelekha's party has 4. In a broader view, anti-Netanyahu forces have 70 mandates versus 50 for Netanyahu supporters. When asked about preferred Prime Minister, 46% favored Eisenkot, while 38% preferred Netanyahu, with 16% undecided.