IDF troops begin voting as military’s polls open in Israel, Gaza, Lebanon and Syria

The Israeli military has begun to vote in the national election, just under a week before the rest of the country, to enable troops stationed in remote locations and inside enemy territory to cast their ballot.

The IDF says it has deployed some 850 polling stations across the country and beyond Israel’s borders. They will remain open through October 27, when the rest of the country votes.

Around 3,000 soldiers, mainly young conscripts, are serving as polling station staff, according to the military. The personnel have been trained by the Central Elections Committee. Tens of thousands of troops are eligible to vote at the military’s polling stations.

Around 25 percent of the stations are fully mobile, to enable both conscripts and reservists stationed in hard-to-reach areas to vote, including at the IDF’s 40 outposts in the Gaza Strip, numerous army positions in Lebanon, and nine outposts in Syria.

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.

“Our mission is to enable all IDF service members to exercise their democratic right to a secret ballot, including during operational activities and combat beyond the border,” says Col. Vered Ben Yehuda, who is overseeing the military’s elections process.

“The IDF is the people’s army that will do everything necessary to enable the election to take place as scheduled,” she adds.

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