Knesset Elections Law [Consolidated Version], 5729-1969
חוק הבחירות לכנסת [נוסח משולב], תשכ"ט-1969
Published: 1969-04-14Last amended 2026-07-16✓ Amendment status checked against the Knesset legislation record on 2026-09-29
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Chapter VII: Voting and Counting of Votes
Polling Station Location§
68.
(a)Each polling area shall have one polling station; the polling station shall be situated within the polling area unless the Central Committee has decided on another location having regard to the circumstances in the area; the location of the polling station shall be determined, as far as possible, with a view to minimising the distance between the polling station and the place of residence of those entitled to vote at it.
(b)A polling station shall not be located in a party club or other place designated for a public-political institution, nor in a synagogue or other place of worship.
(c)Not later than the 70th day before election day the Central Committee shall determine the locations of the polling stations for the elections according to a list of polling station locations submitted to it by the Minister of the Interior not later than the 80th day before election day, or at an earlier date at the request of the Chairperson of the Central Committee.
(c1)
(1)If the Chairperson of the Central Committee and his deputies find that in one compound several polling station locations are to be set up and the number of voters registered on the voters' list linked to one polling area differs materially from the number of voters on the voters' list linked to another polling area in the same compound, they may, not later than the day before the register of voters enters into force under section 26, direct that a balancing be carried out as detailed in paragraph (3) among the voters' lists linked to the polling areas in that compound, provided that the difference in the number of voters between such lists exceeds 100; for this purpose, "compound" – as defined in section 68a(c2);
(2)In a decision to carry out a balancing as referred to in paragraph (1), the Chairperson of the Central Committee and his deputies may determine that as a result of the balancing, polling station locations shall be cancelled, provided that the number of voters registered after the cancellation in each voters' list referred to in that paragraph does not exceed 700;
(3)If the Chairperson of the Central Committee and his deputies have decided to carry out a balancing as referred to in paragraph (1), the Chairperson of the Central Committee or an employee of the Committee whom he has authorised for that purpose shall transfer voters from the voters' list of one polling area to the voters' list of another polling area in the same compound, in alphabetical order of their surnames.
(d)Notice of the location of the polling station shall be published, not later than the 7th day before election day, in the place and form determined by the Central Committee.
(e)The Chairperson of the Central Committee, in consultation with his deputies, may direct that no more than two voting booths that screen the voter from the eyes of others shall be placed at any polling station.
Voting by Persons with Limited Mobility§
68a.
(a)In every locality there shall be at least one polling station location that has and to which there are appropriate access and voting arrangements for persons with limited mobility, and in a locality with more than 20 polling stations there shall be at least two such polling station locations; the Minister of the Interior shall prescribe the required arrangements in Regulations.
(b)In a locality with more than ten thousand residents on the 60th day before election day there shall be at least one polling station location as referred to in subsection (a) for each contiguous geographic area containing up to approximately ten thousand residents.
(c)If the Chairperson of the Central Committee and his deputies find that in a particular locality there is no polling station location as referred to in subsection (a) and it is not possible to install, by reasonable means, such a polling station location, they may direct that subsection (a) shall not apply to that locality; the provisions of this subsection shall also apply in respect of a polling station location as referred to in subsection (b).
(c1)At every polling station location as referred to in subsection (a), the local authority shall erect a temporary road sign that shall be in force on election day and shall ensure two parking spaces designated for persons with limited mobility; the head of the local authority or a person appointed by him for that purpose shall take all necessary measures to comply with this provision.
(c2)If in one compound there are several polling station locations each of which has and to which there are appropriate access and voting arrangements for persons with limited mobility, the Chairperson of the Central Committee may determine that only one of the polling station locations in the compound shall be designated as a polling station under the provisions of this section; for this purpose, "compound" – a building or several buildings adjacent to one another.
(d)A person with limited mobility may vote at any polling station designated under the provisions of this section.
(e)
(1)A person with limited mobility who votes at a polling station designated under the provisions of this section shall identify himself before the secretary of the polling committee as referred to in section 74(a) and (b), and after signing a form in which he declares that he has limited mobility shall place the voting envelope inside an outer envelope, and the polling committee shall indicate on the face of the outer envelope the voter's name, his identity number in the population registry and additional particulars as prescribed in Regulations, and the voter shall insert the envelope into the polling box in the presence of the polling committee;
(2)If a person's limitation in mobility is visibly apparent, or if he has presented a certificate attesting that he has limited mobility, the secretary of the polling committee may exempt him from signing a form as referred to in paragraph (1).
(f)The counting of votes of voters who voted at polling stations under the provisions of this section shall be carried out in the manner prescribed by the Minister of the Interior.
(g)Information regarding the manner of voting under this section and regarding the location of polling stations for persons with limited mobility shall be published to the public, including through electronic media, in the manner to be determined by the Chairperson of the Central Elections Committee.
(h)In this section, "person with limited mobility" – a person who, by reason of his physical condition, has limited mobility and for that reason is unable to vote at the polling station whose voters' list linked to it includes his name.
(i)This section is intended to ensure the realisation of the right of persons with limited mobility to vote during the period until independent and safe access at all polling stations in the country becomes available.
68a1.§
(Repealed — תשס״ו־3)
Voting by Women Staying at a Shelter for Battered Women§
68b.
(a)In this section, "shelter" – a place in which a battered woman stays out of fear for her life or the life of her child, under the supervision of the Ministry of Labour and Welfare.
(b)A woman staying at a shelter may vote at any polling station designated under the provisions of section 68a.
(c)Not later than the 53rd day before election day, the Minister of Labour and Welfare shall submit to the Chairperson of the Central Committee a list of all shelters and shall specify in respect of them additional particulars as prescribed in Regulations; the exact address of a shelter shall not be specified.
(d)On election day, the manager of a shelter shall give each resident of the shelter a written authorisation to vote as referred to in subsection (a), on a form prescribed in Regulations that has been delivered to her in advance by the Central Committee.
(e)A resident of a shelter who votes at a polling station under this section shall identify herself before the secretary of the polling committee as referred to in section 74(a) and (b), shall present a voting authorisation as referred to in subsection (d), and shall place the voting envelope inside an outer envelope.
(f)The polling committee shall indicate on the face of the outer envelope the voter's name, her identity number in the population registry and her address, and the voter shall insert the envelope into the polling box in the presence of the polling committee.
(g)The voting authorisation shall be returned to the voter at the end of her voting, after the secretary of the polling committee has signed the authorisation indicating his given name and surname.
(h)The counting of votes of voters who voted under this section shall be as prescribed in Regulations.
(i)A person who, in the course of his duties, comes to know of the identity of a woman staying at a shelter, the address of a shelter, or any detail that could identify a woman staying at a shelter, shall keep it confidential; the Chairperson of the Central Committee may issue directions regarding the maintenance of confidentiality of information under this section.
Requisition of Premises for Polling Committees§
69.
(a)The Chairperson of the Central Committee may, if he sees a need to do so, temporarily requisition premises – other than residential premises and private offices – to serve as workplaces for polling committees on their working days or as polling stations on election day.
(b)Compensation shall be paid for a requisition under this section as determined by the Chairperson of the Central Committee.
Provisions for Special Cases§
70.
(a)If the Chairperson of the Central Committee and his deputies find that in a particular polling area there will be fewer than 100 voters, they may, notwithstanding the provisions of section 10, not later than the 10th day before election day, combine it with the nearest polling area that they consider to be at a reasonable distance, and they shall immediately notify the voters and the chairpersons of the relevant elections committees thereof in a manner they find appropriate; any person who objects to the combination may, not later than the 7th day before election day, submit his arguments to the Chairperson and his deputies, who shall decide the matter finally not later than 5 days before election day.
(b)If the Chairperson of the Central Committee and his deputies find that in a particular polling area the number of voters will exceed 900, or that for another reason a queue of voters is likely to form at a particular polling station in a manner likely to unduly delay the voting of those who have come to vote, they may, not later than the 6th day before election day, direct that a second polling station shall be established in that polling area; if such a direction has been given, the Chairperson and his deputies shall immediately take all of the following steps:
(1)determine the location of the second polling station;
(2)determine which of the voters in that polling area shall vote at the second polling station;
(3)notify, in the place and manner they find appropriate, of the location of the second polling station and of the voters who will vote at it;
(4)determine which of the members of the polling committee of that polling area and which of the substitutes of those members shall constitute the polling committee of the second polling station for the purposes of voting and counting of votes, and they may, for that purpose, appoint additional members to the polling committee of that polling area, provided that all members shall be from among the factions represented on the Central Committee and that no fewer than three factions from among the factions of the outgoing Knesset shall be represented on each committee;
(5)determine which of the members of the polling committee shall be the chairperson and which shall be the deputy chairperson of the second polling committee.
(6)appoint a secretary for the second polling committee.
(c)If within 70 days before election day the Chairperson of the Central Committee and his deputies find that a polling station location determined under section 68(c) is no longer suitable for its purpose as a polling station as a result of changed circumstances, they may determine another polling station location and notify the voters and the chairpersons of the relevant elections committees thereof in the place and manner they find appropriate.
Special Powers§
70a.
(a)If the Chairperson of the Central Committee and his deputies find, on the eve of election day or on election day, that special circumstances exist in a particular polling area that prevent or are likely, in their opinion, to prevent the normal conduct of the voting, they may direct the postponement of the opening of the polling station, the suspension of the voting and its resumption, as well as the extension of the voting time, provided that voting shall not be permitted more than 24 hours after the time fixed in section 72 for the closing of polling stations; and they may direct that the voting be conducted in a manner in which a member of the polling committee votes, in accordance with the provisions of section 116s(b) and (c).
(b)The directions under subsection (a) shall determine the arrangements to ensure that elections are held in that polling area, including the location of the polling station, the composition of the polling committee and any other matter required by the principal direction.
(c)The Chairperson of the Central Committee and his deputies shall notify the voters and the chairpersons of the relevant elections committees of the directions under this section, in the place and manner they see fit; such directions do not require publication in Reshumot (Official Gazette).
Delivery of Voters' Lists§
71.
(a)Not later than the 15th day before election day, the Minister of the Interior shall deliver to the Central Committee five copies of the register of voters that will be in force on election day.
(b)Not later than two days before election day the Central Committee shall deliver to each polling committee, in two copies, the voters' list of those entitled to vote at that polling station, as delivered to the Central Committee by the Minister of the Interior under subsection (a). The said list shall be delivered to the secretary of the polling committee.
Determination of Public Services§
71a.
Not later than the 45th day before election day the Central Committee shall determine the categories of services that shall be regarded as public services for the purposes of section 10 of Basic Law: The Knesset and the hours of their operation; the Committee shall publish a notice of the said determination, in such manner as it sees fit, not later than the 35th day before election day.
Voting Hours§
72.
(a)The polling station shall be open for voting on election day without interruption from 7 in the morning until 10 at night, but in a locality where the number of persons entitled to vote does not exceed 350, the polling station shall be open from 8 in the morning until 8 at night; the polling station shall close before the said hours if all those entitled to vote at it have already voted.
(b)A person who has arrived at the polling station during voting hours is entitled to vote even if his voting is delayed until after the end of voting hours.
Presence at the Polling Station§
73.
During voting hours no person shall be present at the polling station other than members of the polling committee or the substitute of an absent member of the committee, observers as referred to in section 24(d), the secretary of the polling committee, members of the Central Committee and the regional committee, voters who have been permitted to enter for the purpose of voting, the Minister of the Interior or his representative, and police officers whom the polling committee considers necessary for the maintenance of order, as well as employees of the Central Committee and employees of the regional committees who are required to be present at the polling station for the purpose of performing their duties and who are performing work or functions of the type determined by the Chairperson of the Central Committee in rules as referred to in section 73a.
Determination of Rules Regarding the Presence of Employees at the Polling Station§
73a.
The Chairperson of the Central Committee may determine in rules the categories of work or functions such that employees of the Central Committee or the regional committee who perform them on election day shall also be permitted to be present at the polling station during voting hours for the purpose of performing their duties.
Identification of Voters§
74.
(a)A person wishing to vote must identify himself before the secretary of the polling committee.
(b)One of the following shall serve as a means of identification:
(1)an identity card issued under the Population Registry Law;
(2)a valid Israeli passport issued under the Passports Law, 5712-1952;
(3)a valid driving licence that includes a photograph of the licence holder, issued under the Traffic Ordinance [New Version];
(4)a Knesset Member's card issued under the Knesset Members' Immunity, Rights and Duties Law, 5711-1951;
(5)a valid military identity document; for the purposes of this section, "military identity document" – the personal military identity document issued to a soldier in compulsory service under the Defence Service Law or in regular service of the Israel Defence Forces, by the Israel Defence Forces, which includes a photograph, name and identity number, as shall be determined by the Chairperson of the Central Committee in directions, on the proposal of the Chief of the General Staff.
(c)In respect of a person who has voted, the polling committee shall draw a line through his name and other particulars on the voters' list and shall indicate next to his name the time of his voting; without derogating from the provisions of section 79a, the Chairperson of the Central Elections Committee or a person authorised by him for that purpose may transmit information regarding presence at the polling station that is essential to an investigating body for the criminal investigation of an offence under this Law, and during the period of validity of the Special Powers to Combat the Novel Coronavirus (Temporary Provision) Law, 5780-2020 – to transmit such information that is essential to the Ministry of Health for the purpose of conducting an epidemiological investigation.
Voting envelopes§
74a.
(a)The colour of voting envelopes in elections shall be blue, unless the Central Committee has decided otherwise, and their shape shall be determined by the Chairperson of the Central Committee and the Chairperson's deputies.
(b)Voting envelopes shall be sealed.
(c)The polling committee shall give each voter who has been identified as provided in section 74(a) one voting envelope.
Manner of voting§
75.
(a)Voting is conducted as follows: in a booth that screens the voter from the sight of others, the voter places a ballot slip inside the voting envelope given to the voter by the polling committee; the voter casts the envelope into the ballot box in the presence of the polling committee.
(b)A person who, by reason of illness or physical impairment, is unable to perform the physical acts in the voting booth alone, may bring with him a companion whose particulars shall be recorded in the protocol, in order to assist him in the act of voting; however, the companion—
(1)shall not be a manager or employee of an old-age home or other institution in which the voter is residing;
(2)shall not accompany more than two voters on election day.
(c)If a doubt arises as to whether the conditions of subsection (b) are fulfilled, it shall be resolved by the secretary of the polling committee.
Ballot slips§
76.
(a)Ballot slips shall be printed in accordance with a specimen approved by the Central Committee and shall bear only the letter, or the name and letter, of the list.
(b)A candidate list may add to the Hebrew letter and Hebrew name of the list the Arabic letter and Arabic name that the Central Committee has approved as equivalents of the Hebrew letter and Hebrew name, and the voter may use a ballot slip in Hebrew only or in Hebrew with the Arabic translation.
(b1)(Repealed).
(c)In place of a printed slip in accordance with the foregoing provisions, a blank slip on which the letter of the list, or the letter together with the name, is marked in handwriting may also serve for voting, provided only that the marking was made with a pen in blue ink; every voter is entitled to receive a blank slip from the polling committee.
(d)On a ballot slip that bears the letter of one of the candidate lists together with a name different from the name approved for that list under this Law, the vote shall be counted according to the letter.
Supply of ballot slips§
77.
(a)The Central Committee shall print ballot slips for all candidate lists published as provided in section 65, in accordance with the provisions of section 76(a) and (b).
(b)The quantity of ballot slips for each list as aforesaid shall equal the number of voters registered in the register of voters plus thirty per cent.
(c)The Chairperson of the Central Committee, in consultation with the Chairperson's deputies, may prescribe a quantity different from that specified in subsection (b) and the number of slips to be printed in Hebrew and in Arabic.
(d)The Central Committee shall transfer the ballot slips to all polling committees at least two days before election day.
Invalid votes§
78.
(a)The following shall be invalid votes:
(1)a ballot slip that does not conform to the provisions of section 76, or whose size, colour or printing differ from what the Central Committee has prescribed;
(2)a blank ballot slip that does not conform to the provisions of section 76, or whose form of writing differs from that prescribed by the Central Committee;
(3)a mark or object in a voting envelope or on a ballot slip that is capable of identifying the voter; this provision shall not derogate from the use of a blank ballot slip under section 76(c);
(4)a voting envelope into which a voter has placed more than one ballot slip; however, if the voting envelope contained no more than three identical ballot slips, the vote shall not be invalidated on that account, but the additional slips shall not be taken into account;
(4a)(Repealed);
(4b)(Repealed);
(5)an envelope that is not one of those supplied by the Central Committee;
(6)a voting envelope of a voter that reached the Central Committee after the first day following election day;
(7)(Repealed).
(b)Additional provisions regarding the disqualification of votes may be prescribed by Regulations, provided that the decision of the Central Committee on the matter was adopted by a majority of two-thirds of those participating in the vote.
Counting of votes§
79.
(a)The counting of votes at each ballot box shall be carried out by the polling committee immediately after the close of voting.
(b)The polling committee shall draw up a protocol, in a standard form prescribed by Regulations, concerning the opening of the ballot box, the conduct of the voting and the counting of votes, and shall immediately transmit the protocol together with all the voting material to the regional committee. The protocol shall be recorded by hand by the secretary of the polling committee, who shall also record therein the secretary's own remarks and the remarks of the committee members and observers regarding the conduct of the ballot box and the adjacent area.
(c)The regional committee shall immediately transmit the protocols of the polling committees in its area together with all the election material to the Central Committee.
(d)A protocol of a polling committee and of a regional committee shall be signed by at least two members of the committee, including the chairperson or the deputy chairperson of the committee, and also by the secretary of the committee; each member of the committee and every observer under section 24(d), and every member of the Central Committee, may add remarks to the protocol.
(e)The chairperson of a regional committee, the chairperson of the Central Committee, and their deputies may correct in a protocol of a polling committee—
(1)an arithmetical error in the summation of the count of valid votes, invalid votes or the number of voters;
(2)an error or omission in the transcription of the number of valid votes for a candidate list from the vote-count sheet to the protocol;
(3)the recording of valid votes for a candidate list that were erroneously recorded for another candidate list, and the deletion of those votes from the other candidate list.
(f)Corrections as referred to in subsection (e) shall be made at the discretion of the chairperson of the regional or Central Committee and their deputies, on the basis of the records of the polling committee and the secretary of the polling committee, on the basis of vote-count sheets and vote-disqualification sheets, and also on the basis of remarks of the polling committee or of the secretary of the polling committee, which may be communicated orally.
(g)A list of the corrections referred to in subsection (e) that were made in the regional committees and the Central Committee shall be transmitted to the deputies of the chairperson of the Central Committee.
Preservation of documents§
79a.
(a)The Central Committee shall keep in a safe place the protocols of the polling committees together with all the election material received from the regional committees as provided in section 79(c), until after the expiry of the time limit for the submission of election appeals, and if election appeals have been submitted—until after the delivery of a final judgment thereon; after the said periods, the Central Committee shall destroy the election material as aforesaid, unless the court has directed otherwise; however, the protocols of the polling committees shall be retained by the Central Committee until election day for the next Knesset.
(a1)Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a), the chairperson of the Central Committee may direct that the election material in the possession of the Committee relating to a particular ballot box, in whole or in part, shall not be destroyed, or shall be destroyed at a different time as the chairperson shall decide, all for periods as detailed below:
(1)for a period not exceeding 90 days—if this is required for the purpose of examining whether suspicion of the commission of an offence under this Law arises; the chairperson of the Central Committee may extend the said period for one additional period not exceeding 90 days;
(2)for a period not exceeding one year—if suspicion of the commission of an offence under this Law has arisen, and the chairperson of the Central Committee, or an employee of the Committee whom the chairperson has authorised for this purpose, has approached an investigating body and notified it of the existence of such suspicion; the chairperson of the Central Committee may repeatedly extend the said period for additional periods not exceeding one year each time; in this paragraph, "investigating body" means an authority empowered by law to investigate criminal offences.
(b)Entitlement to inspect the election material, including the protocols referred to in this section, or to copy such material against payment, and the limitations on such entitlement, shall be in accordance with rules to be prescribed by the chairperson of the Central Committee with the approval of the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee of the Knesset.
80.§
(Repealed — תיקון מס' 26, 1992)
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