Israel Election Turnout Hits Record 55.7% by 4 p.m.

Israelis are voting in record numbers. By 4 p.m. Tuesday, 4,085,075 people, or 55.7% of the electorate, had cast ballots in the election for the 26th Knesset. The figure comes from the Central Elections Committee, which issues turnout figures through the day. At the same hour in the previous election, the rate was 47.5%. In several chareidi cities, voters were moving faster than the country as a whole.

Arutz Sheva published a locality-by-locality breakdown. In its figures, turnout reached 59% in Elad, 58.8% in Modi'in Illit and 53.3% in Bnei Brak. Tel Aviv stood at 50.4% and Jerusalem at 47.7%. Beit El reached 64.5% and Karnei Shomron 62.1%. Timorim reached 91.6%, while Bat Yam trailed at 40%.

For families and visitors in Israel, Election Day is a national holiday. Most workplaces and schools are closed, but shops remain open. JTA reported estimates that tens of thousands of Israelis living abroad have returned to vote.

Shas, the chareidi party, joined Likud in requesting a one-hour extension of voting, citing congestion at polling stations nationwide, The Jerusalem Post reported. The committee has already said that anyone in line before the 10 p.m. close will be allowed to vote. Justice Noam Sohlberg, who chairs the committee, said waits at some stations had stretched to 15 to 20 minutes.

"A great many people are not giving up their right to vote. That is the recipe for resilience in Israeli society."

Livne, the committee's acting director-general, called the 4 p.m. figure "the highest we've ever had." Two hours earlier, with 3,290,480 ballots cast, he declared: "We've broken all records." Accounts differ on how far back the record goes. Ynet described the 4 p.m. rate as the highest since comparable records began in 1973. Arutz Sheva quoted Livne as saying the 2 p.m. rate was the highest since 1969.

David Zini, director of the Shin Bet security service, spoke at the committee's command center in the Knesset. "There are challenges, and there are those who are trying to disrupt them, but under the leadership of Justice Sohlberg and the Israel Police, we are succeeding," Zini said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged Israelis to vote. "This is a fateful moment; we know what is at stake," he said.

The surge built steadily through the day. By noon, turnout had already reached 31.5%, the highest midday figure since 1973.