Can't reach the polls due to floods: "Stuck on the road, extend the voting"

Floods in southern Israel blocked Highway 90 on election day, leaving residents of the Arava stranded and demanding an extension of voting hours. The Central Elections Committee will discuss the request by the Netanyahu bloc for an extension.

Floods in southern Israel blocked Highway 90 from Eilat to Ein Gedi on election day, October 27, 2026, preventing residents of the Arava, including those from the Tamar Regional Council and Neot HaKikar, from reaching polling stations before their 8:00 PM closing. Yoni Stern, a resident of Neot HaKikar, reported that he and other residents are stuck on the road and demand an extension of voting hours or the reopening of the road. Earlier, Likud appealed to the chairman of the Central Elections Committee, Judge Noam Sohlberg, demanding an extension of voting. Later, Otzma Yehudit, Shas, and Am Yisrael joined the request. Yashar, led by Gadi Eisenkot, expressed opposition, while Together, led by Naftali Bennett, and the Democrats, led by Yair Golan, joined the request. The Central Elections Committee announced it would discuss the request. The article describes additional road closures in the south, including Highways 25, 40, 12, and 13, and the unusual rainfall amounts: 17 mm in three hours at Mount Shaguv and 8.4 mm at Neot Smadar.