Background Information
Elections Frequency
The Knesset is the name of the Israeli parliament. Elections for the Knesset are held every four years unless early elections are called for. In recent times, the Knesset has not completed its full term and early elections have been called often.
Knesset Election Law
The Knesset shall be elected by general, national, direct, equal, secret and proportional elections, in accordance with the Knesset Elections Law.
General. Every Israeli citizen of all ethnic groups and religious beliefs, over the age of 18 has the right to vote and cast one ballot for a polical party in the elections.
National. The entire country constitutes a single electoral constituency.
Direct. The Knesset is elected by voters and not by a body.
Equal. All votes cast are equal in weight.
Secret. Elections are held by secret ballot. Secrecy is guaranteed in the following ways; (i) Sealed, lined envelopes that prevent anyone from seeing the ballot slip inside. (ii) Voting booths that prevent the voter from being seen when he chooses his ballot and places it into the envelope.
Propoortional. The 120 Knesset seats are assigned in proportion to each party's percentage of the total national vote. However, the minimum required for a party to win a Knesset seat is 2% of the total votes cast.
Who can be elected to the Knesset?
Every citizen aged 21 or older is eligible for election to the Knesset, provided they have no criminal record, do not hold an official position (the president, state comptroller, judges and senior public officials, as well as the chief-of-staff and high-ranking military officers, may not stand for election to the Knesset unless they have resigned their position at least 100 days before the elections), and the court has not specifically restricted this right (for example, in the rare case of a person convicted of treason).
Election Results
1. Each list of candidates that receives at least 2% of the legitimate votes participates in the distribution of mandates.
2. The total number of legitimate votes for all lists that participate in the distribution of mandates is divided by 120, and the resulting number is the “index.”
3. Each list of candidates receives Knesset seats according to the total number of votes received as divided by the “index.”
What is the “Voters List”?
The Voters List is a list of all those who hold the right to vote for the Knesset. All persons listed in the Voters List have the right to vote. Every person who fulfills the following three conditions is eligible to be listed:
- S/he has held Israeli citizenship as of 18/12/2008.
- S/he has reached 18 years of age no later than the date of the election, e.g. their date of birth is no later than 10/2/1991.
- His/her name and address have appeared in the Population Registration as of 18/12/2008.
Where To Vote
On the day of the election, and a few days before, the Central Elections Committee will maintain telephone information centers that also supply the exact location of the polling station. Telephone numbers will be publicized in the press.
The disabled can vote in special polling stations designed for accessibility. Addresses of these polling stations are available from the telephone information centers.
Voting will be facilitated in hospitals, prisons, Israeli ships, and Israeli diplomatic missions abroad.
Approximately three weeks prior to the elections a notice will be sent to each voter containing the exact address on the polling station at which he/she is registered. A map of
polling stations may be viewed at www.gov.il
Election Day
Election day is considered an official holiday off of work, however public transportation will operate normally. All polling stations are open on election day from 7:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m. In small communities where the number of voters is less than 350, the voting hours are from 8:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. Those still waiting in line when the polling stations close will be permitted to vote, but one who arrives after closing time will not be permitted to vote.
In order to vote it is necessary to produce one of the following identification documents:
- Te’udat zehut (ID Card) with photograph.
- Valid Israeli passport with photograph.
- Valid Israeli driver’s license with photograph.
- Knesset member’s certificate.
The Polling Station and the Voting Booth
The voting process is as follows:
- The voter identifies himself to the polling committee with one of the documents listed above.
- Once the voter’s name is located on the voters list, the voter then receives an envelope with the words “Elections for the 18th Knesset” appearing on it. The
envelopes are sealed and darkened inside, and have the stamp of the Central Elections Committee, the head of the Central Elections Committee, and the signatures of two
members of the polling committee.
- The voter enters the voting booth. Inside is a display of voting slips for each candidate list. There are also blank white slips.
Knesset Ballots for Every Party List
Voters cast their ballots for a list of candidates. Each candidate list is represented on a ballot by an initial or initials as well as by the name of the party. The party names of candidate lists and their corresponding initials are publicized in the press.
The Voting Process is as Follows:
The voter selects a slip for the list of candidates he/she wishes to vote for. Voters may choose one slip only, which is then placed into the envelope. The voter must close
the envelope. One may also use a blank slip to cast a ballot. In such a case the voter must indicate on the slip, in his/her own writing (in Hebrew or Arabic only) the name
and initials of the list he/she is casting a vote for.
The voter then exits the booth, and personally places the closed envelope into the ballot box, in view of members of the polling committee.
It is important for the voter to obey any further instructions on the part of election officials in order to ensure secrecy.
Only one ballot may be placed into the envelope. An envelope found to contain 2 or more slips from different lists, or 3 or more slips for the same list, is invalid. An
envelope that contains 2 slips for the same list is considered valid, although only one vote will be counted.
Voter Turnout in Israel Elections
