Election Committee Updates Guidelines Amid Long Lines at Polls

The Central Election Committee has updated its guidelines due to significant congestion at polling stations across Israel. The committee attributes the long queues to a higher voter turnout, with 31.5% having voted by noon on Tuesday, compared to 28.4% in the previous election. To expedite the process, polling station committees are now instructed to identify voters before they enter the voting booth, and to conduct any necessary inquiries to the side, ensuring voting continues uninterrupted. Additionally, the committee will accept identification from voters using expired identity cards, provided the photograph clearly identifies the individual. Reports of heavy crowds at polling stations have emerged from numerous locations. In Haifa, one resident described waiting for over three hours, with the building manager explaining that voters from across the Carmel area were converging there. An elderly woman at the same polling station reported attempting to vote twice but leaving due to the extended wait. The Leffler family, visiting from Australia to vote, reported a wait exceeding two hours. Long lines are also being experienced in Arab communities, with one polling station in Tayibe reporting a queue of over an hour and 40 minutes. Congestion has also been noted in East Jerusalem, although the vast majority of residents there are permanent residents without voting rights.