Israel
Israel votes Tuesday: what every eligible citizen needs to know
By Jewish Life Staff, . Jewish Life.
About 7,331,981 Israeli citizens are eligible to vote in Tuesday's Knesset elections, Israel's parliament, according to Haaretz. The vote is being held amid questions about election integrity and the limits on what political parties may collect about voters, the publication reported.
Who can vote and where
Every Israeli registered in the Population Registry who turns 18 on or before Election Day is eligible, Haaretz reported. That means anyone born on or before October 27, 2008, or the Hebrew-calendar equivalent of 16 Cheshvan 5769; where the two dates differ, the earlier one applies.
A total of 12,018 polling stations have been set up inside Israel, with another 102 at Israeli diplomatic missions abroad, according to the report. Voters who did not receive a mailed notice of their assigned station can look it up on the Interior Ministry's website or call a multilingual voter information hotline, the publication said.
Accepted identification
Voters must present a valid identity card, driver's license or Israeli passport, Haaretz reported. Soldiers may use a military ID, and police officers may identify themselves with police credentials.
Polling hours and free travel
Most stations are open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., the report said. Shorter hours, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., apply at stations serving communities with fewer than 350 eligible voters and at those inside prisons, hospitals and nursing homes.
Israel Railways services and intercity bus routes covering more than 15 kilometers will run free of charge until midnight, with no ID needed, according to the publication.
How the ballot works
After identifying themselves to the committee secretary, voters receive an official envelope and step behind a screen where slips for every competing party list are available, along with blank slips and a blue pen, Haaretz reported. Only one slip goes into the envelope. If a preferred party's slip is missing, voters may write its letter or letters on a blank slip, but only in blue ink.
The envelope does not need to be sealed before being placed in the ballot box, the report said.
Several things can void a ballot. An envelope is invalid if it carries any mark that could identify the voter, contains slips for different party lists, holds more than three identical slips, or was not supplied by the Central Elections Committee, according to the publication. Two or three identical slips count as a single vote; four identical slips invalidate the ballot entirely.
Blank slips and slips bearing anything other than the official party letters are also invalid, the report said.
How seats are distributed
The Jerusalem Post reported that once polling stations close, counting begins to distribute the 120 Knesset seats. Votes cast at regular stations are counted locally before being sent to the Central Elections Committee, followed by special ballots, according to the Times of Israel. The Times of Israel also reported that Israel does not generally permit absentee voting, meaning most Israelis living abroad must register and then travel back to cast a ballot. With neither major bloc assured of a majority, the report said, the post-election process of forming a government could be closely contested.
Sources
1. How do I vote All you need to know before casting your ballot, haaretz.com
2. How to vote in Israel: A guide for the first-time voter ahead of the Knesset elections - explainer, jpost.com
3. Israel goes to the polls: A guide to the election and the battle to form a government, timesofisrael.com