Your ballot costs more than you thought: the full bill of Election Day

The elections for the 26th Knesset are expected to cost about 3.5 billion shekels, with the main sum being lost productivity from the day off. The Central Elections Committee budget stands at 690 million shekels, and party funding is estimated at around a quarter of a billion shekels. Likud received about 37 million shekels, Yesh Atid 32 million, and Shas 16.1 million. Israel is unusual in the OECD with a day off in the middle of the week.

The elections for the 26th Knesset, taking place today (Tuesday), are expected to cost about 3.5 billion shekels, according to data presented in the article. The bulk of the sum is not direct government spending but lost productivity due to the day off. The Central Elections Committee budget stands at 690 million shekels, allocated for managing the entire system, including printing 450 million ballots and employing about 100,000 workers. Government funding for parties is estimated at around a quarter of a billion shekels, with Likud receiving about 37 million shekels, Yesh Atid about 32 million shekels, and Shas about 16.1 million shekels. A new list that does not pass the electoral threshold could be left in debt. The most expensive component is the day off, costing the economy an estimated 2.54 billion shekels, compared to 1.69 billion shekels in the 2022 elections. The loss stems mainly from the business sector (1.67 billion shekels) and the public sector (865 million shekels). In international comparison, Israel is unusual: out of 38 OECD countries, only Israel and South Korea grant a day off in the middle of the week. The Israel Democracy Institute emphasized that the economic cost does not justify canceling the day off due to its civic and democratic contribution.