Israeli emissaries abroad end voting, with turnout 17 percentage points higher than 2022

Early voting at Israeli diplomatic postings around the world wrapped up Friday, with turnout jumping significantly since the last national election.

Israel does not have absentee voting, except for official envoys and emissaries and their families.

A statement from the Central Elections Commission said that 86.7% of eligible voters cast their ballots, compared to 69.6% in 2022 — a difference of 17.1 percentage points.

In total, 4,218 Israelis voted this week at 101 polling stations in 99 embassies and consulates, the CEC said, kicking off in New Zealand and ending on the West Coast of the United States, with voting lasting approximately 30 hours.

The ballots will now be transferred to Israel to be counted in the national election slated for October 27.

Turnout is seen as a potential deciding factor in the national vote. Backers of the opposition have mounted an unprecedented effort to support expats in traveling to the country to vote, while there are fears in the coalition of reduced enthusiasm and lower turnout numbers among some segments of its base.

Israel is one of a handful of democracies that do not allow citizens to vote if they are abroad, with absentee voting only available for envoys, diplomatic staff, including military attachés, and their families. More than 50,000 Israelis are expected to travel home to cast their ballots, according to election organizations.

The military is also set to begin early voting for soldiers, with at least 850 polling stations set to be deployed next week at military bases and outposts across the country and beyond Israel’s borders.

Soldiers will begin voting early on the evening of Tuesday, October 20, due to “operational considerations.” The polling stations will remain open through October 27, when the rest of the country votes.

Polls have predicted a deadlock in the October 27 election between the presumed pro- and anti-government camps for months.

Opposition frontrunner Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party opened up a significant lead over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud, but neither camp is projected to win a majority in the Knesset, according to the latest poll by The Times of Israel’s sister site, Zman Yisrael, published on Thursday.

The poll showed the bloc of Jewish-led parties opposing the premier with 54 seats, compared to 49 for the pro-Netanyahu bloc, both short of a 61-seat majority in the 120-seat Knesset.

Arab parties would win 13 seats, while the Reservists, a nonaligned party, would clinch four. Last week the anti-Netanyahu bloc was projected to win 55 seats, while the pro-Netanyahu camp had 51.

The biggest change in Thursday’s poll was that it showed Yashar winning 26 seats compared to 20 for Likud. Last week, the gap was 24 to 20.