Voting in Israel’s 2026 parliamentary election has begun at diplomatic missions abroad, ahead of the October 27 national vote. Approximately 4,800 diplomatic personnel and eligible family members can participate at 101 polling stations across 99 missions.
The first polling station opened in Wellington, New Zealand, at 9 a.m. local time on October 15, corresponding to 11 p.m. on October 14 in Israel. Voting at Israel’s embassy in Fiji followed an hour later.
The Times of Israel reported that the overseas voting process would span approximately 30 hours, with each mission operating its station during local daytime hours. The final stations, at Israel’s consulates in Los Angeles and San Francisco, were scheduled to close at 8 p.m. local time, corresponding to Friday morning in Israel.
Overseas voting is restricted to eligible envoys, diplomatic staff, and their families. It is not generally available to Israeli citizens traveling or living abroad.
In Nairobi, Israeli Ambassador to Kenya Gideon Behar joined diplomatic personnel in voting on October 15, according to News9 Africa. The embassy vote forms part of the worldwide process allowing eligible officials to participate while serving overseas.
Once overseas voting concludes, the ballots will be transported to Israel and delivered to the Knesset for counting.
References
timesofisrael/liveblog_entry/first-ballots-of-2026-election-are-cast-as-voting-opens-at-israels-diplomatic-missions-abroad/
news9.africa/international-news/israeli-ambassador-to-kenya-gideon-behar-leads-diplomats-in-casting-votes-for-26th-knesset-15473/
