Israel's 2026 election gets underway abroad: 101 polling stations from New Zealand to California

Voting in Israel's October 27 general election began Thursday at diplomatic missions around the world, 12 days before Israelis head to the polls at home. About 4,800 Israeli government representatives serving overseas and their eligible family members can cast ballots at 101 polling stations across 99 diplomatic missions, in an operation stretching from New Zealand to California. The early voting process is not limited to diplomats. It also includes embassy and consulate employees, representatives of government ministries, military and other attachés, and eligible members of their families. Most Israeli citizens living or traveling abroad cannot vote overseas and must return to Israel to cast their ballots. Because of time zone differences, voting began at the Israeli Embassy in Wellington, New Zealand, at 11 p.m. Wednesday, October 14, Israel time. The next polling station opened at 12:01 a.m. Thursday at Israel's embassy in Suva, Fiji, the country's newest diplomatic mission. From there, voting moved westward across the globe, following the sun in a process lasting approximately 30 hours. The final polling stations, at Israeli consulates in Los Angeles and San Francisco, are scheduled to close Friday, October 16, at 6 a.m. Israel time. The largest overseas polling station is at the Israeli Consulate in New York, where more than 700 people are eligible to vote. Behind the 101 polling stations is an extensive logistical operation jointly managed by the Foreign Ministry and the Central Elections Committee. Preparations include training election staff at diplomatic missions, transporting ballot boxes and election materials around the world, coordinating voting across dozens of countries and time zones, and maintaining uniform procedures to protect the integrity of the vote. Throughout the overseas voting period, two election command centers are operating simultaneously: one in the Foreign Ministry's situation room and the other in the Central Elections Committee's special voting division. The centers coordinate their work, address problems as they arise and monitor voting around the clock, from the opening of the first polling station to the closing of the last. "Today marks the culmination of a lengthy and meticulous process that began several months ago, during which we prepared for the elections at Israeli diplomatic missions abroad," said Ambassador Aviva Raz Shechter, head of the Foreign Ministry's election task force. "Israeli diplomats and state representatives serving around the world, together with their eligible family members, are the first citizens to exercise their democratic right and cast their votes in the elections for the 26th Knesset," she said, describing the process as a longstanding tradition and a celebration of democracy. "The elections have begun!" declared Dean Livne, acting director general of the Central Elections Committee. "Last night, Israeli representatives in Fiji and New Zealand cast their ballots. From there, voting follows the sun. Wherever a new day begins, voting begins as well." Livne described election day as a celebration of Israeli democracy, when citizens exercise their fundamental right to shape the country's future. He stressed the importance of safeguarding that right for Israeli envoys, diplomatic staff and their families, even when they are thousands of kilometers from home. The Central Elections Committee, he added, has activated its monitoring, auditing and oversight systems to ensure that voting proceeds securely and in accordance with the law, with strict safeguards against electoral irregularities. Once voting is completed, ballot envelopes will be transferred to Israel under established procedures and supervision, ahead of the vote count for the 26th Knesset. After the final overseas polling station closes, the Foreign Ministry's election team will report turnout figures to the Central Elections Committee. Eight overseas votes for one Israeli ambassador Among those casting their ballots abroad is Israel's ambassador to Italy, Jonathan Peled, who has reached an unusual milestone: voting in an Israeli election from overseas for the eighth time during his diplomatic career. Peled, 65, has served in the Foreign Ministry for 35 years, with postings across several continents. His diplomatic career has repeatedly placed him outside Israel during national elections, producing a voting history that spans countries and time zones. During Israel's frequent election cycles between 2019 and 2021, Peled voted in Mexico City in April 2019, while serving as ambassador to Mexico, in the election for the 21st Knesset. In September 2019, he voted in Israel in the election for the 22nd Knesset. In March 2020, he cast his ballot for the 23rd Knesset in Miami, Florida, where he was serving as acting consul general. A year later, in March 2021, he voted for the 24th Knesset in Canberra while serving as acting ambassador to Australia. Earlier in his career, he also voted at Israeli diplomatic missions in Istanbul, Argentina, Washington and Miami. His latest ballot, cast in Rome, marks his eighth overseas vote. "I'm proud to vote for the eighth time in my eighth country during my career," Peled said. "Our political opinions may differ, but as diplomats, we all serve one country: Israel!"