The mistakes that invalidate a ballot – and could cancel your vote at the polls

Ahead of the elections for the 26th Knesset, the Central Elections Committee publishes guidelines regarding invalid ballots. In the previous elections, 29,851 votes were disqualified. A marked ballot, an envelope containing ballots from two different lists, or a blank ballot will not be counted. A ballot for the 'Ahi' list, which has withdrawn, will also be invalidated.

Ahead of the elections for the 26th Knesset, taking place today (Tuesday), the Central Elections Committee has published guidelines regarding invalid ballots. In the previous elections in November 2022, 29,851 votes were disqualified, about 0.6% of all voters—votes that are not counted in the distribution of seats and are not included in the calculation of the electoral threshold. The committee clarifies that voters must use the printed ballots as they are, without adding words, signatures, drawings, or other marks. If no printed ballot for the desired list is available, voters may obtain a blank ballot and write the list's letters on it, along with the list's nickname, in blue ink, in Hebrew or Arabic. A blank ballot with nothing written on it, or one with only the list's nickname without its letters, will be invalidated. The envelope itself can also disqualify the vote: an envelope containing ballots from two different lists, an envelope with more than three ballots, or an envelope that is not the official envelope of the Elections Committee. Additionally, the 'Ahi' movement, which ran under the letters 'Tzvi', has withdrawn from the race, and any ballot for this list found in the count will be invalidated, including votes already cast at Israeli missions abroad and in military polling stations.