First Israeli ballots cast as diplomats vote abroad from New Zealand to New York

Once cast and collected, the physical ballots will be transferred to Israel to be counted as a standard part of the upcoming elections.

Israeli diplomats have begun casting ballots abroad for the 26th Knesset more than a week before Israel's October 27, 2026 elections, N12 News reported on Thursday.

While Israeli citizens are generally ineligible to vote by absentee ballot, exceptions are made for Israeli diplomats and their family members, with the Foreign Ministry and Central Elections Committee (CEC) operating 101 polling stations at 99 Israeli diplomatic missions around the world.

According to N12, about 4,800 Israelis will use the program to vote abroad, and specific mission employees and government envoys are also eligible.

The first ballots were cast in Wellington, New Zealand, at 11:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Israel time, followed by Israel's newest mission in Suva, Fiji, at 12:00 Thursday.

The voting will continue westward, according to the report, until the final polling stations close in Los Angeles and San Farnciso on the West Coast of the United States at 6:00 a.m. on Friday.

The report noted that the program's largest polling station will be at Israel's New York Consulate, where 700 participants are expected to cast their votes.

Ballots to be transferred to Israel upon completion of program

Once cast and collected, the physical ballots will be transferred to Israel to be counted as a standard part of the upcoming elections, N12 reported.

The N12 report emphasized the logistical coordination required for the program, with the entire voting process lasting around 30 hours.

The physical polling stations and election materials had to be transported to their respective embassies and consulates ahead of time, and the CEC had to train local polling station teams to ensure a uniform and secure procedure in accordance with israeli election law.