The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is preparing to hold elections for the 26th Knesset under uniquely challenging operational conditions, aiming to enable all active-duty soldiers and reservists to exercise their right to vote. For the first time, voting will take place while troops cross borders between combat zones, with hundreds of stationary and mobile ballot boxes deployed across units nationwide.
More than 800 ballot boxes will be deployed across all units and combat zones starting next week. Early voting in the IDF will begin on the evening of October 20 and continue for seven days, culminating on the general election day, October 27.
As part of the preparations, stationary and mobile ballot boxes will operate wherever soldiers are serving on active duty or active reserve service. Mobile ballot boxes will move between several units according to a predetermined schedule, with the ballot committee accompanied by an armed officer or sergeant responsible for security. During transfers between units, the ballot box’s secondary cover will remain locked.
Soldiers have the option to vote at either a military or civilian polling station. Voting will be conducted using double envelopes, designed to ensure the voter is eligible and votes only once.
The IDF’s election apparatus will be led by Colonel Vered Ben Yehuda, who was appointed IDF elections officer in addition to her role as head of the IDF Employee Employment Center. Hundreds of election officers and approximately 3,000 soldiers trained to serve as ballot committee members will participate in the preparation and operation of the polling stations.
The ballot committee includes four soldiers who undergo training and are familiar with the procedures required to manage voting. The election apparatus’s role is to enable the process and maintain its integrity, without involvement in political content or voters’ positions.
The IDF emphasized that “the elections will be held while preserving the military’s non-partisan character and its separation from political discourse, alongside the operational effort and the need to enable all service members to exercise their democratic right.”