Full coverage· Politics· Updated 15:28

Record Turnout Marks Israeli Election Day Amid Voter Indecision

Israel’s Central Elections Committee reported record turnout in the 26th Knesset elections on Tuesday, with 16.68% voting by 10 AM and 44.9% by 2 PM. The figures were the highest for those hours in decades, and more than 3.29 million people had voted by 2 PM.

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Record Turnout Marks Israeli Election Day Amid Voter Indecision — Illustration by baba

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What happened

01Israel’s Central Elections Committee reported 16.68% turnout by 10 AM on Tuesday, higher than the 15.9% recorded at the same hour in the previous election.
02By 2 PM, 44.9% of eligible voters had cast ballots, or over 3.29 million people, according to the Central Elections Committee.
03The committee said turnout reached 31.5% by noon, meaning more than 2.3 million citizens had voted in the 26th Knesset elections.
04Abu Ali Express said the 10 AM figure was the highest since 1981, while the committee said it was the highest since at least 1996.
05At 2 PM, the turnout was 6 percentage points higher than the 38.9% reported at the same time in the previous election.
06JDN reported that Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich blamed the high turnout on strong voting in Arab areas and left-wing strongholds.
07Cursorinfo said several parties complained of alleged ballot damage and theft, and that the Central Elections Committee denied widespread fraud.

At 10 AM, turnout was said to be the highest since 1981 by some outlets, while the committee said it was the highest since at least 1996. The earlier figure was 15.9% in the previous election, and the 2 PM figure was 38.9% in that election.

The committee said turnout reached 31.5% by noon, or more than 2.3 million voters. Officials said updates would continue through the day, and the final distribution of Knesset seats would only be determined after counting the ballots.

Several outlets also reported unusual activity around voting. One said Minister Bezalel Smotrich blamed the turnout on strong voting in Arab areas and left-wing strongholds, while others reported complaints about alleged ballot damage or theft and said the committee denied systemic fraud.

Summarized by baba from the reports of 9 newsrooms. Updated 16:23