Israel
Middle East · il
Parliamentary republic with a 120-seat Knesset elected in a single nationwide proportional-representation constituency.
Profile last reviewed July 23, 2026
Israel elects the Knesset by national, direct, equal, secret and proportional voting. Voters choose a party list on paper; seats are allocated among lists crossing the legal threshold, and a government must command parliamentary confidence. The Central Elections Committee is chaired by a Supreme Court justice.
How voting works today
- Voting age
- 18 and over
- Voter registration
- Automatic
- Identification
- Photo ID required
- Compulsory voting
- No
- Postal voting
- Not available
- Early voting
- Restricted
- Online voting
- Not available
- Voting from abroad
- Restricted
Most voters cast one in-person paper ballot on election day. Special voting arrangements apply to defined groups such as soldiers, diplomats, seafarers, prisoners and hospital patients; there is no general overseas or postal vote.
How the franchise changed
Every entry records a change in who could vote, or how — expansions, restrictions and procedural reforms alike.
- 1949Expansion
The first Knesset election established nationwide parliamentary voting after independence.
The electoral system in Israel - 1969Reform
Basic Law: The Knesset codified general, national, direct, equal, secret and proportional elections and voting from age 18.
Basic Law: The Knesset - 2014Reform
The electoral threshold for a party list was raised to 3.25% of valid votes.
The electoral system in Israel
Safeguards on the count
- Ballot type
- Paper ballots
- Post-election audit
- Judicial challenge only
- Election administration
- Judiciary
- Domestic observers
- Yes
- International observers
- No
Voters place a printed party-list slip in an inner envelope, which goes into the ballot box. Ballots are manually counted under committee procedures, with party representation and judicial oversight through the Central Elections Committee.
Worth knowing
- The Knesset has 120 members and the entire country forms one electoral district.Basic Law: The Knesset
- The State Comptroller published a special report on Israel's response to foreign influence in the digital sphere on 7 July 2026.The national response to foreign influence in the digital sphere
Elections in the database
- 2026Israel 2026 Knesset ElectionElection Watch
People
- Head of governmentBenjamin NetanyahuPrime Minister of Israel
Sources
- Guide to Knesset elections— Central Elections Committee of Israel
- Basic Law: The Knesset— The Knesset