IDF: Soldiers to vote at 850 stations across country and in enemy territory starting Oct. 20

The Israeli military is preparing for the October 27 national elections, 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 October 20 due to “operational considerations.” The polling stations will remain open through October 27, when the rest of the country votes.

The IDF says it will operate at least 850 military polling stations, 25 percent of which will be fully mobile to allow soldiers stationed in remote locations and inside enemy territory — both conscripts and reservists — to vote. The IDF has some 40 outposts in the Gaza Strip, numerous army positions in Lebanon, and nine outposts in Syria.

Soldiers may also vote at civilian polling stations on October 27. Double envelopes will be used so that their names can be checked against their home polling station to ensure that each soldier votes only once.

The mobile polling stations will move between several units according to a predetermined schedule. Their staff will be accompanied by an armed officer responsible for security, and the ballot boxes will remain locked while in transit.

Around 3,000 soldiers, mainly young conscripts, will serve as polling station staff, according to the military. The personnel will be trained by the Central Elections Committee, while the IDF’s election process will be overseen by Col. Vered Ben Yehuda, who also heads the IDF Civilian Employees Employment Center.

The military says it will conduct the elections while preserving its nonpartisan character and keeping political discourse out of the process. It says its role is to facilitate voting and ensure the integrity of the elections, without engaging in political content or voters’ positions.