Israel Votes 2026
People | Parties | Issues
Elections 2026
On October 27th Israel Votes! So Can You!
Israel Votes is the ultimate educational portal for the historic October 27, 2026 Israeli elections.
Your community, high school, university campus, or organization can participate in Israeli elections online with a customized Israel Votes site - contact us to learn more.
By the time polls open on October 27, it will have been four years since Israelis last went to the polls. While that may sound unremarkable, consider this: the government led by Benjamin Netanyahu is the first to complete a full term in more than half a century. The last government to do so was led by Golda Meir, whose tenure ended in 1973 following the traumatic Yom Kippur War.
Fifty years after that joint Egyptian and Syrian surprise attack on the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, Israel suffered the worst mass terror attack in its history when Hamas invaded Israel on the holiday of Simchat Torah on October 7, 2023, massacring over 1,200 people. Just as the Yom Kippur War fundamentally altered the 1973 election results, the scars of October 7th and the subsequent and ongoing war will heavily reshape the political landscape when Israel Votes in October.
Our comprehensive site is currently under construction, but you don't have to wait to bring this historic moment to your community. We can provide pro-Israel Jewish university groups, Hillels, high school, community center, synagogue, or civic organization, you can get your own fully branded, personalized Israel Votes portal today, along with your own dedicated voting page.
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The Knesset
About the Israeli Parliament & Electoral System
The hallmark of Israel’s democracy – the Knesset – is the unicameral national legislature with 120 seats. Located in Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, the Knesset is made up of officials elected as members of political lists who run as parties. Each of the nearly 6 million eligible voting citizens of Israel can cast a vote for one of the parties running and no one votes directly for individual candidates. After the election, the seats of the Knesset are divided proportionately according to the number of votes received by each party as long as it garnered the minimum 3.25% of the votes cast, corresponding to 4 Knesset seats. More.
Key Players
Candidates You Need to Know
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Even though Israelis vote for a political party with a pre-defined list of candidates, individual candidates still play a critical part in elections. Each party is usually led by the most dynamic person in the party, the one with the most name recognition, business, political and/or military experience, personal clout – or all of these assets – to draw voters to his or her party. They are not only the face of the party, but also embody the party’s ideals. Below are some of the key players in the September 2019 elections.
% of Women in Israeli Knesset
24%
% of Women in U.S. Senate
25%
% of Minorities in Israeli Knesset
10%
9%
% of Minorites in U.S. Senate
Parties Running for Knesset
As a parliamentary democracy, Israelis vote for one party from among those running rather than for specific candidates. Each party can have up to 120 candidates -- the total number of seats in the Knesset. However, since no party has ever won even a simple majority of 61 seats needed to govern, most have far fewer candidates. Under normal circumstances, the party that wins the most seats is tasked to form a governing coalition. If they are unable to do so, another large party can be tapped to form the government instead. Those parties not in the ruling coalition form the parliamentary opposition.
For upcoming election, 31 parties are slated to run. Touch the logos below to learn about each party and their platform. Small parties with little chance entering the Knesset are listed on this page.
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Key Issues
Background Information & Analysis
Well before the advent of the 24/7 news cycle brought about by the internet, Israel was broadcasting the news every hour, on the hour, day and night since the state's establishment in 1948. The issues impacting Israel are very real and very immediate, so it's no wonder that discussing politics and "the situation" in Israel is a non-stop national sport. Below are backgrounders on some of the key issues that Israelis discuss, even when elections are not imminent.
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