The solution that will save voters abroad thousands of dollars - and why Israel is not adopting it

For a couple of Israelis living in Paris, voting in the upcoming Knesset elections will not just require a few minutes' walk to the local polling station. To put a ballot in an envelope, they had to purchase plane tickets to Israel for almost $4,800. Other Israelis who reside or are temporarily staying in the USA, Europe, and other destinations have also reported in recent weeks about costs of thousands of shekels and sometimes thousands of dollars, and vacation days that will be required of them just to be in Israel on October 27, the election day for the 26th Knesset.

Apparently, the reason is simple: in Israel, it is impossible to vote from abroad. Except that this is not exactly true. While those Israelis will make the long journey to Ben Gurion Airport, a few kilometers from their homes, an Israeli polling station might be operating at the embassy or consulate. Israel already holds voting overseas, knows how to identify the voters, transfer the envelopes to the country, and include them in the count. In the 2022 elections, there were about 4,500 eligible voters at 103 polling stations placed in 101 Israeli missions around the world.

However, if an Israeli living in New York passes by the consulate on election day, he will not be able to simply enter and vote. These polling stations are not intended for the general Israeli public. That is, the problem is not that Israel cannot hold a vote abroad - it decided that most Israelis who are there will not be able to use this mechanism. This rule does not apply only to those who moved to live abroad. Even an Israeli whose center of life is in the country, pays taxes, and lives here all year, but happens to be overseas on election day - on vacation, on a work trip, or visiting family - cannot vote at the mission.

Who is eligible?

In Israel's missions, those who are there due to their work as state employees can vote - including soldiers - as well as employees and envoys of the Jewish Agency, the World Zionist Organization, KKL, and Keren Hayesod. Also, their spouses and children up to age 20, if they are eligible to vote, can be included in the arrangement. A Foreign Ministry employee sent to Washington can vote there, while an Israeli who moved to the city for two years due to doctoral studies cannot.

This division can seem arbitrary in 2026, but its roots are much deeper. In July 1982, a discussion was held in the Knesset where Member of Knesset Chaim Herzog, later President of the State, asked to allow citizens sent abroad on behalf of the state to vote in Israel's missions. MK Shevach Weiss asked him why stop there: why, for example, not allow also Israelis studying at universities abroad to vote? Herzog dissented, explaining that the "phenomenon of emigration exists" and it is difficult to distinguish between those who are abroad temporarily and those who left the country permanently.

The political debate

Is citizenship alone enough to be part of the body that chooses the Knesset? This is the central argument of those opposing the expansion of voting from abroad. A person living in Israel is influenced daily by government decisions, whereas someone living for years in Los Angeles or Berlin is not. This argument received political expression this month, when Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi said regarding Israelis abroad that "whoever lives in the country should influence its future", and added that whoever does not live in it "is invited to immigrate".

Global perspective

The comparison to the world highlights how limited the Israeli model is. According to the International IDEA database, in 131 out of 218 countries, there is some possibility to vote outside the country in parliamentary elections. France, for example, has 11 of its own constituencies for citizens abroad and allows online voting. Germany allows Germans living outside the country to vote if they can show personal and direct acquaintance with the political situation. Australia created a third category: a citizen who is abroad, but whose connection to the country and whose intention to return are still clear enough.

Ultimately, the debate about voting from abroad is much less technical than it sounds. Envelopes, voters' lists, and secured polling stations are things that Israel already knows how to operate. The real question is who is considered part of the public authorized to choose the Knesset. Until the Knesset chooses to answer it differently, for most Israelis who will be outside the country on October 27, the way to the polling station will continue to pass through the airport.