As Election Day approaches, we wanted to summarize the election process and some of the provisions regarding the employees’ rights and employers’ obligations on that day. The Elections Committee (central and local) releases detailed information about upcoming elections. Click here to view the information on how, where, and when to vote.

Israel’s Voting System

Israel has an electoral voting system. Voters cast their ballot for the party (and there are a lot of them) of their choice and not for а particular candidate. Hence, you are not voting for a specific prime minister. The prime minister is the chosen leader from the prevailing party receiving the most votes. The number of seats a party receives is proportional to the number of votes.

Who Is Eligible to Vote?

• Any Israeli citizen over the age of 18 (If a court has not deprived him of this right according to law).
• The Ministry of Interior issues an updated list detailing the people who have the right to vote. The list closes about 50 days before the election date, so New Olim who arrived in Israel more than 50 days (approximately) before the election date should be included in the official voter’s ballot.
• Voters must be physically present in Israel on election day as there are no mail-in ballots.

Voting Status

You can check the accuracy of your personal details and get your voting information from the Ministry of Interior Affairs website or by contacting the ministry, as indicated below:

• • By phone, at 1-800-222-290, Monday through Thursday from 8:30am – 10:00pm, and Friday from 8:30am – 1:30pm. Languages available are Hebrew, Arabic, Russian, Amharic, and English.
  • By text message (SMS), at 050-808-5500. To verify, send your 9-digit Teudat Zehut number (including the parity digit) and the date your Teudat Zehut (ID card) was issued.
  • By fax, at 1-800-222-291, with the same information as included in your text message listed above.

Where Do I Vote?

You should receive a pink voter card in the mail, sent to the address you registered with Misrad Hapnim, which will specify your polling location. It doesn’t always correlate with the closest polling location near you, though they try. If you don’t receive a card, you should click on the following link https://www.gov.il/he/departments/central-elections-committee/govil-landing-page to find out where to vote (this link will become available as we get closer to the voting period). This is usually based on your geographical location as listed with Misrad Hapnim. You must vote at the location assigned to you since each location receives a list of registered voters, which has been allocated to reduce the traffic of a specific location.

If you are a person with disability which makes it physically difficult for you to be mobile and your polling location is not accessible to people with physical disabilities, you are entitled to place your vote in any other accessible polling location of your choice. The list of accessible polling is updated every election, and we will provide you with the nearest accessible polling a reasonable time before the elections.

What’s the Voting Process?

Voting in Israel is simple, even if you don’t speak Hebrew. Every voter is given an envelope before entering the voting booth. Inside the booth is а tray holding slips of paper with the name of а party and the “symbol” (composed of 1-4 letters). The voter selects the slip that represents his or her chosen party, seals the slip in the envelope, and places it in the ballot bох. That’s it!

Voters Rights

1. National Election Day is a paid שבתויו (Vacation Day), for the entire workforce, with the exception of “services to the public” which operate as usual.

2. A private sector employer is obligated to pay their employees who do not work on Election Day and who have worked for at least fourteen consecutive days (including weekends) prior to Election Day, the same salary they would have earned had they worked that day.

3. An employer who is not included in the list of public services (provided below), may not compel his employees to work on Election Day. According to labor laws, an employee (other than public service) who is compelled to work on Election Day is generally entitled to 200% of his average daily salary, or his regular salary with the addition of one bonus vacation hour for every hour of work on Election Day.

Services for the Public

The Central Election Committee of the 19th Knesset recently issued a notice detailing the different types of public services which are to operate normally on Election Day. The providers of these public services must grant their employees the opportunity, and ample time, to vote during the workday. Click here for a list of public services included in the notice.

Note: The above is intended as general information only and is not intended to serve as legal advice or as a legal opinion. It does not address many of the nuances and requirements of the Laws and Regulations. Should issues arise, we suggest that you obtain specific legal consultation.

Thanks to Russell D. Mayer, Adv for contributing this information.
Russell D. Mayer Adv. is a Partner at Livnat Mayer and Co.
You can contact him at [email protected] or by phone at 02-679-9533.

* Last updated on October 10, 2024 *