Political tension reached a peak on Wednesday as the Central Elections Committee finalized logistics to begin tallying external double envelopes—the decisive body of ballots that will determine the definitive distribution of seats for the 26th Knesset.
According to official estimates from the election authority, between 430,000 and 480,000 external ballots were cast across the country and at diplomatic posts abroad. Composed primarily of active-duty IDF combat personnel, border police, security operatives, overseas diplomatic staff, hospitalized citizens, and prison inmates, this substantial vote pool possesses the mathematical weight to shift marginal seats and reshape bloc balances under statutory surplus-distribution formulas.
The counting operation is scheduled to commence at 01:00 on Thursday morning and is projected to conclude by Thursday evening. Election officials emphasized that the handling of double envelopes involves a rigorous, multi-tiered protocol designed to safeguard the purity of the elections while preserving voter anonymity:
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Digital Verification and Cross-Referencing: Every outer envelope containing identifying voter details is scanned and audited against the primary central voter registry to verify legal eligibility and ensure the individual did not cast a municipal ballot earlier in the day.
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Anonymized Separation: After clearance, staff remove the inner unmarked voting envelope and place it in centralized receptacles where ballots are thoroughly commingled, eliminating any link between the voter’s identity and their political choice.
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Manual Tally in the Knesset Compound: The anonymized ballots are then transferred to a specialized logistics facility established within the Knesset compound, where counting teams conduct manual tallies under observer supervision.
To ensure procedural transparency and reinforce public trust throughout the count, the Central Elections Committee announced that it will stream operations live on its official YouTube channel, with a dedicated live video feed provided directly to television networks and newsrooms. Official figures will be updated continuously on the Central Elections Committee website, allowing citizens and political factions to track returns in real time as the final parliamentary balance of power is established.