Jerusalem, 17 September, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Israel’s Central Elections Committee opened registration Thursday for staff to count “outer envelope” absentee ballots ahead of the October 27 election for the 26th Knesset, with applications open until September 23.
A limited number of people in Israel, such as active duty military personnel, may vote by absentee ballot. These ballots are placed in an outer envelope with the individuals’ personal information listed on it to prevent double voting and need to be removed by one staff of election workers, with the envelope with the actual vote in it opened and counted by a different staff in order to ensure anonymity.
The outer envelopes are opened only after the polls close nationwide and the names on them are checked against the lists of those who voted at the polls.
The counting operation will run in a secured facility at the Knesset in Jerusalem from Election Day through October 29, operating around-the-clock shifts, including overnight.