Israel's legislative election draws its highest midday turnout in 50 years

27 October 2026

Israel held its legislative election on Tuesday, 27 October 2026. Israel's Central Elections Committee reported that almost 45 per cent of voters had cast ballots by two in the afternoon, the highest at that hour in 50 years and about 6 percentage points above the same point in the 2022 election. A party must cross an electoral threshold of 3.25 per cent of the vote to enter the Knesset. The Association for Civil Rights in Israel filed a complaint with the Central Elections Committee about delays reported in at least 18 communities. Benjamin Netanyahu and Gadi Eisenkot were the main contenders, and counting continued into Wednesday.