Israel Elections Oct. 27: 7.3M Voters, Full-Term Knesset

On October 27, Israeli citizens will head to the polls in an election that marks a historic milestone: Knesset 25 will complete its full term, the first time a Knesset has done so since Knesset 11 finished its tenure in 1988, 38 years ago.

A total of 7,331,981 eligible voters are registered, an 8% increase over the previous elections - a gain of 543,177 voters. Of these, 618,839 are first-time voters who turned 18 since the Knesset 25 elections, representing approximately 8.4% of the electorate.

Across the country, 12,018 regular polling stations will be set up. Citizens evacuated from their homes due to the security situation will be able to vote at any polling station nationwide designated as accessible to voters with limited mobility.

Chareidi Cities Lead in Turnout

Turnout data from the Knesset 25 elections in cities with over 50,000 residents demonstrates the strength of the chareidi public. Modiin Illit led the list with an impressive 82% turnout, followed by Beitar Illit at 81.3%, and Bnei Brak with a notably high 76.5%.

By contrast, the lowest turnout rates in those cities were recorded in Umm al-Fahm (38.3%), Eilat (43%), and Nazareth (48.3%).

The electoral threshold stands at 3.25% of valid votes cast. No fewer than 38 parties have submitted candidacies for Knesset 26.

The previous election cycle recorded an unprecedented negative record: 417,400 "wasted votes", ballots that were either invalid or cast for parties that failed to cross the threshold. By comparison, the Knesset 24 elections saw only about 126,000 wasted votes.

The New Threat: AI Deepfakes

This election cycle will be remembered as "the first elections in the AI era," posing serious risks of disinformation and deepfake videos that could mislead voters through voice and visual cloning.

To address the threat, a dedicated law was passed in July 2026 requiring anyone publishing election propaganda that constitutes a "deepfake" to attach a prominent and clear disclosure stating that the content "was created by digital means and was not originally recorded."

Violation of the new law is a criminal offense punishable by six months' imprisonment or a fine. Enforcement is carried out through rapid injunction and removal orders issued by the chairman of the Central Elections Committee.

The Elections Committee is calling on the public ahead of election day to exercise heightened critical judgment, look for transparency labels, and verify information only against official government ministry sources.

Meanwhile, the Population and Immigration Authority announced a special arrangement ahead of the elections: starting this week, anyone seeking to issue a new identity card may do so at any Population Administration office nationwide, without the need to schedule an appointment in advance. The decision is intended to enable every eligible voter without a valid identification document to exercise their right to vote.

The Central Elections Committee is in the midst of an unprecedented printing operation of approximately 450 million ballot slips for the roughly 7.3 million eligible voters. For each party running for Knesset 26, approximately 11.5 million copies will be printed, to be made available to voters at 12,018 polling stations across the country.