Israel has recorded a strong voter turnout in its general election, with 44.9 per cent of eligible voters casting their ballots by 2pm local time, according to Israeli media reports citing the Central Elections Committee.
The election, which will determine the composition of the 120-member Knesset, is the first general vote since the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023.
Dean Livne, Acting Director General of the Central Elections Committee, said that the turnout had surpassed previous records for the same period of the day.
“We have surpassed all the records kept by the Central Elections Committee. There hasn’t been such a nationwide voter turnout since 1973.”
Dean Livne
The reported turnout was significantly higher than the 38.9 per cent recorded at the same time during the 2022 election, indicating increased participation in the current vote.
Israeli military personnel have also recorded a strong turnout, according to figures released by the military.
Participation among soldiers reached 48 per cent by 1pm local time, compared with 44.4 per cent at the same stage of the 2022 election.
Voting for military personnel began a week before the general election, with 850 polling stations established at military bases across Israel and beyond its borders.
Meanwhile, election officials have assured voters that polling stations will remain open beyond their scheduled closing time if people are still waiting to cast their ballots.
Polling stations are due to close after 10pm local time, but Livne said voting would continue for those who had arrived before the deadline.
“At many polling stations, there are lines. When you reach a high voter turnout, there will always be lines.
“We promise, everyone will vote. If there is a line at 10pm, the polling stations will continue to operate until everyone who arrived by 10 p.m. has voted. There is no need to worry.”
Dean Livne
The possibility of polling stations remaining open beyond the scheduled closing time could also delay the publication of exit polls, which are normally released immediately after voting ends.
Netanyahu Raises Alarm Over Arab Voter Participation
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged his supporters to turn out in large numbers, warning of high participation among Palestinian citizens of Israel. “Buses are heading to the polling stations, and huge lines are being reported in Arab communities,” Netanyahu wrote on X, alongside a picture previously posted by Palestinian lawmaker Ahmad Tibi showing himself with a bus in the background.
Netanyahu also reposted a photograph of people voting in the Bedouin city of Rahat, commenting, “We are in a war for our home!”
National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir also appealed to right-wing voters to increase their participation, releasing a video from the city of Kafr Qassem.
In the video, Ben-Gvir urged supporters to counter what he described as the “crazy voting rate” in Palestinian communities, adding, “if you want this country to stay Jewish and Zionist.”
The comments came as opposition figures called for strong voter participation and raised concerns about the integrity of the electoral process.
Gilad Kariv, a lawmaker from the opposition Democrats party, described election day as “the beginning of four years of hope.” “Today, we are taking the struggle we have waged over the past four years to the ballot box,” Kariv wrote on X.
He also warned that Netanyahu and his allies could attempt to undermine the electoral process through misinformation.
“In the coming hours, Netanyahu and his associates will flood you with fake news and misleading messages in an attempt to undermine the elections by spreading lies and illusions. Our response must be a massive turnout at the polls.”
Gilad Kariv
Legal Centre Reports Obstacles In Arab Communities
As turnout increased, Adalah, a Haifa-based legal centre, reported receiving numerous complaints from Palestinian citizens of Israel about alleged obstacles to voting in their communities.
According to the organisation, the reports included delays or suspensions in admitting voters to polling stations and shortages of ballot slips printed in Arabic.
Adalah cited a report from Kafr Qara, in central Israel, where only one person had reportedly voted by 10am, three hours after polling stations opened at 7am.
In Segev Shalom, in the Naqab, a polling station was reportedly closed for a significant period, with at least 150 voters waiting outside at one point.
The organisation said that it had raised the complaints with the Central Elections Committee and relevant regional officials. It also criticised what it described as incitement by senior government officials against Palestinian citizens exercising their voting rights.
Adalah warned that the reported incidents could indicate a wider pattern rather than isolated irregularities. “When the delays are concentrated in Arab towns, the damage is done not only to the voting rights of those affected, but to the principle of equal participation in the electoral process,” the organisation said.
The reports have added to tensions surrounding the election, with political leaders urging supporters to vote while concerns persist over participation, access to polling stations and the conduct of the electoral process.
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