One Slip, Blue Pen
What to bring, what not to write, and the rule that matters if the line is long. A printable card for the last hours of voting, Tuesday 27 October 2026 / 16 Cheshvan 5787.
Voting ends at 22:00 tonight. In small communities of 350 voters or fewer, and in hospitals, prisons and care homes, it ends at 20:00.
If you're in line by 22:00, you vote. The Central Elections Committee's acting director-general said today that if there's a line at 22:00, stations keep working until everyone who arrived by 22:00 has voted. So don't turn around at the door because the line looks long.
What to bring
Bring one of these:
- Your Israeli ID card. An expired card is fine if the photo still shows it's you.
- A valid Israeli driver's licence with your photo.
- A valid Israeli passport.
- A valid IDF personal ID card.
A photo of your ID on your phone won't be accepted. The voter notice that came in the mail isn't ID, and you don't need it to vote.
No ID at all? Ten Population Authority offices are open today, 08:00 to 18:00, to issue a temporary ID for voting. Bring two passport photos. The offices are in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Rishon LeZion, Kfar Saba, Bnei Brak, Be'er Sheva, Ashkelon, the Krayot, Nof HaGalil and Tzfat.
Where
You vote only at the station you're assigned to. If you don't know where it is, the Interior Ministry's locator line is 1-800-101-975.
Behind the screen
- Take one printed slip and put it in the envelope. Don't add anything to it: no writing, no signature, no marks.
- If your list's slip has run out, ask for a blank slip. Write the list's letters on it in blue pen. A blank slip left empty doesn't count.
- Two or three identical slips in one envelope count as one vote. Four or more, or slips for different lists, and the envelope is void.
- Don't mark the envelope. You don't have to seal it.
- If something's wrong at the station, tell the station committee.
Getting there
Israel Railways trains and longer intercity bus routes are free until midnight today, and you don't need ID to ride. Check your route before you leave.
The math on the line
There are 7,331,981 eligible voters and 12,018 ballot boxes. That's 7,331,981 ÷ 12,018, or about 610 voters per box on average. If every one of them shows up in the evening, you get a line. That's why the 22:00 rule matters.
Why bother
Section II of the Covenantal Republicanism monograph starts from a simple idea. A free people chooses who governs it, and stays answerable for that choice. Today that choice is one slip in one envelope.
I encourage all eligible voters to vote.
Voting ends at 22:00.
All glory to the Ribono shel Olam · Errors are mine
Prepared in deep partnership and cooperation with Grok and xAI
Sources (all checked 27 October 2026)
- Central Elections Committee FAQ: hours, accepted ID, the voter notice, sealing, blank slips. Hebrew page updated 12 October 2026: https://www.gov.il/he/pages/elections_faq · English: https://www.gov.il/en/pages/elections_faq
- Population Authority, 11 October 2026, voting with an expired ID card: https://www.gov.il/he/pages/doovrot-11-10-26
- Channel 14, the photo must identify the holder, phone photos aren't accepted, and the locator line 1-800-101-975: https://www.c14.co.il/article/1756704
- Kan News, the ten Population Authority offices open 08:00–18:00 on 27 October 2026: https://www.kan.org.il/content/kan-news/local/1111550/
- JDN, 26 October 2026 10:57, the committee's ballot-slip rules: https://www.jdn.co.il/news/2754843/ · Chabad.info: https://chabad.info/elections/1377049/
- The line rule, acting director-general of the committee, 27 October 2026 (Israel Hayom on Telegram): https://t.me/israelhayomofficial/76236 · Yinon Magal on Telegram: https://t.me/yinonews/64036
- 7,331,981 eligible voters and 12,018 ballot boxes, 27 October 2026 (Almog Boker on Telegram): https://t.me/almogboker78/18523 · Haaretz explainer: https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/elections/2026-10-27/ty-article/how-do-i-vote-all-you-need-to-know-before-casting-your-ballot/000001a1-7c6e-d429-afa5-ffee5e120000
- Free trains and intercity buses until midnight, no ID needed: the Haaretz explainer above.