7.3 million Israelis eligible to vote ahead of fateful Election Day

Around 10,000 polling station workers and 15,000 cameras will help oversee the election and safeguard the voting process.

By World Israel News Staff

Approximately 7.3 million Israelis are eligible to vote in the upcoming national election on October 27, with the Central Elections Committee (CEC) preparing thousands of polling stations and hundreds of millions of ballots ahead of the vote.

According to the CEC, 12,018 polling stations and 18,000 ballot boxes will be available across Israel.

Active-duty IDF soldiers serving on military bases and Israeli diplomats stationed abroad have already cast their ballots.

In preparation for the election, the committee has printed 450 million paper ballots, reflecting Israel’s voting system, in which voters select a party by placing a slip bearing its name into a ballot box. The CEC said the preparations are intended to ensure that eligible voters can cast their ballots and that the process runs smoothly.

Approximately 10,000 workers will staff polling stations, while 15,000 cameras will be deployed as part of efforts to monitor the vote and prevent fraud.

“All of this is…to ensure a proper, accessible, and supervised election process that enables the public to exercise its right to vote,” the committee said in a media statement.

The preparations come amid an unusually contentious campaign. Hebrew-language outlet Ynet reported that the CEC has received a substantial number of complaints concerning election campaigning and political activity.

According to the report, the committee received 276 petitions related to the electioneering and campaigns of specific parties and politicians, which is five times the number recorded during the previous election campaign in 2022.

Israeli security forces, including the police and the Shin Bet domestic security agency, are also preparing to protect the electoral process and prevent disruptions before, during, and after election day.

Police Chief Daniel Levy said law enforcement agencies had been preparing for months to ensure the vote could proceed normally.

“We’ve prepared for months for this national mission, and we’ll employ our full strength to ensure a free, fair, and safe election,” Levy said in a media release.

He warned that authorities would respond firmly to any attempts to interfere with the election or intimidate voters.

“Anyone who tries to harm the integrity of the election, intimidate voters, or thwart the democratic process before, during, or after the election will find themselves confronted by a strong, determined, nonpartisan, and unyielding police,” Levy added.