National Elections 2026

On October 27, Israeli citizens voted to elect the 26th Knesset. With all votes counted and the final results in, this preliminary analysis examines the distribution of seats among the parties, how many women and new members will serve in the new parliament, and how voter turnout in Israel compares internationally.

Following the directive issued by the chair of the Central Elections Committee to investigate suspicions of funding and influence by foreign actors, we explain the legal procedures that apply in such cases.

IDI President Yohanan Plesner joins CNN’s Newsroom to discuss the latest preliminary results from Israel’s 2026 election and the options available to both blocs for forming a government, as neither appears to have a clear path to a majority.

Israelis have cast their ballots for the 26th Knesset, but the results remain inconclusive. In this special online briefing, experts discussed the scenarios on the table, possible paths to forming the next government, and whether Israel could be heading toward another election.

The briefing brought together IDI President Yohanan Plesner, Prof. Tamar Hermann, Director of IDI’s Viterbi Family Center for Public Opinion and Policy Research, and David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel, for an in-depth conversation presented by 92NY, IDI, and The Times of Israel.

The conversation was moderated by Amanda Borschel-Dan, Deputy Editor of The Times of Israel.

Does political deadlock mean a new election? Not necessarily. Israeli law actually allows the formation of a minority government. Although rare in Israel, this type of government exists in parliamentary democracies and could help Israel avoid repeat elections – the question is whether it would be able to govern effectively.

When and where can Israelis vote? What do they need to bring to the polling station? Can they vote at a polling station other than the one to which they are assigned? What should they do if ballot slips are missing or they suspect a threat to election integrity? All the answers ahead of the election for the 26th Knesset.

Much of Israel's election operations and infrastructure is carried out on WhatsApp, which is vulnerable to coordinated efforts to interfere with an opponent's get-out-the-vote efforts and erroneous blocking of accounts identified as spam. Key steps must be taken by Meta, WhatsApp's parent company, to protect electoral integrity on October 27.

Among both Jewish (35%) and Arab (46%) Israelis, a plurality say that they prefer repeat elections over a unity government with a rotation (Jews: 28% / Arabs: 9%) or a minority government (Jews: 23% / Arabs: 25%).

In every election race, including Israel's 2026 Election, we look to polls to understand which parties are gaining or losing support and how many seats each could win in the Knesset. Yet how can polls conducted at the same time in the same country show different results? At IDI, we convened Israel’s leading pollsters to look behind the scenes of the polls we all consume. The discussion covered how different survey methods affect results, why transparency matters, and how the electoral threshold complicates projections. The discussion also highlighted an important distinction, often overlooked by the public and media: polls do not forecast Election Day results. They measure public opinion at the time they are conducted.

What are invalid votes? Do they affect election results? Is there a difference between a blank ballot and other invalid votes? How many invalid votes have been recorded in each election? And how does Israel compare with other parliamentary democracies?

Passing a law requiring ultra-Orthodox men to serve in the IDF and establishing a State Commission of Inquiry into the Oct. 7 attack get highest level of support among Jews; exploring negotiations with Palestinians gets highest level of support among Arab Israelis. 

Israelis will vote on Election Day, more than three years after the October 7 massacre, as some of the most consequential questions about the attack remain unanswered. The establishment of a state commission of inquiry is a critical for the country.

Holding elections on schedule is one of the fundamental principles of democracy. Yet in certain emergency situations, there may be no choice but to postpone them. Under what circumstances does the law permit elections to be delayed and what safeguards are in place to ensure that such a decision is made solely on substantive grounds?

Polymarket, Synthetic Simulations, and the Need to Expand Transparency Requirements Beyond Election Polls

In every Israeli election, parties spend tens of millions of shekels each on their campaigns. Where does the money come from, and when is it paid? How do the rules differ for large and small parties, and for established and new ones? Is there a spending ceiling? And what happens when a party runs a deficit?

Israelis vote for party lists and only in elections for Knesset and local government. Adding a candidate-based component to Knesset elections and considering reforms that expand the number of elected institutions would improve Israel's democratic system.

Yohanan Plesner: 3 Existential Issues Facing Israeli Voters on TOI's What Matters Now

The date of the election for the 26th Knesset has been officially set. One of the major milestones on the road to Election Day is September 8, the deadline for submitting candidate lists. Each party is free to determine how it compiles its list. This review examines the methods the parties use.

The state comptroller plays a critical role in preventing misconduct in elections. Israel is now in a situation in which "the rules of the game are in place, but the referee has disappeared from the field."

72% of Jewish Israelis and 58.5% of Arab Israelis say there is danger to the integrity of Israel's elections. Israelis are split on how best to handle Iran. Laws passed in the legislative blitz prior to Knesset dissolution were broadly unpopular.

Haredi society features an unusually strong link between communal affiliation and voting patterns. Over the years, various mechanisms and motivations have been created to ensure that Haredi voters turn out to vote and to dictate which party they vote for. Will the conscription crisis and the events of recent years weaken these systems?

Shlomit Ravitsky Tur-Paz, Director of IDI’s Joan and Irwin Jacobs Center for Shared Society and Head of the Religion and State Program, joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan on the Times of Israel weekly podcast, What Matters Now. Ahead of Israel’s October 27 elections, they discuss the stratification of Israeli society across different religious groups, the diversity of characteristics and values among Israel's religious populations, and how religion comes into play in Israeli politics - including at the ballot box.

As Israel’s 2026 election campaign unfolds, IDI experts are examining the major questions shaping the campaign—and the country’s future. In the latest video in our special election series, Prof. Amichai Cohen, IDI’s newly appointed Vice President of Research, shares three key issues he’s watching.

Everything you need to know about what happens to the Knesset between the end of its summer session and the 2026 elections, scheduled for October 27, 2026.

Prof. Ofer Kenig briefed the Jerusalem Press Club on Israel’s upcoming elections including on how the electoral system works, the formation of party lists, “double envelope” voting, coalition negotiations, and the process of forming a new government after election day.

The decision has been made for Knesset elections to take place, as scheduled, on October 27, 2026, marking the first election in Israel since 1988 in which Knesset has completed its full term. Indeed, Israel ranks as the country with the second-most frequent elections out of OECD parliamentary democracies.

This review demonstrates a clear correlation between religious self-definition and voting in elections. The further one moves toward the secular end of the continuum between Haredim and secular Jews, the greater the likelihood of voting for a political camp currently identified with the opposition, and vice versa.

A semi-open ballot system would give voters the chance to express preference for particular candidates on election day, not just a pre-determined party list. This would improve accountability to the voters and resolve many of the shortcomings in the current methods of candidate selection.

Dr. Tammy Hoffman, Head of IDI's Education Policy Program, spoke with Kan Radio about a new survey exploring the attitudes, perceptions, and political engagement of young adults who will be eligible to vote for the first time in the upcoming elections. She shared key findings on their intention and motivation to vote, whether they believe their vote can make a difference, and which issues they think the government should prioritize.

This survey is part of a broader study. Research team: Dr. Tammy Hoffman, Daphna Cahana-Dolev, Meital Baron, and Dani Gigi.

IDI President Yohanan Plesner and Prof. Tamar Hermann, Academic Director of IDI's Viterbi Family Center for Public Opinion and Policy Research, join Dr. Natan Sachs from the Middle East Institute to discuss Israel’s upcoming elections, why they are viewed as especially consequential, the role of Arab parties in future coalitions, and what might change under a different government.

Dr. Tehilla Shwartz Altshuler, Head of IDI’s Democracy in the Digital Age Program, joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan on the Times of Israel weekly podcast, What Matters Now. They discuss how various actors can use AI to flood the public sphere with confusion and disinformation, the potential impact this can have in an election year, and key policy and regulatory steps that can be taken to ensure Israel's democracy is prepared for the AI-era.

44% of Israelis think Israel's security is a central consideration for President Trump, representing a sharp decline from the last measurement. 61% of Israelis think Prime Minister Netanyahu should not run in the upcoming Knesset elections; 35% think he should.

Four key issues are expected to take center stage in Israel's 2026 elections, representing a referendum on the future of the country's democratic character, the balance between religion and state, and the question of a liberal civic consensus in an era of unprecedented polarization.

In the wake of the announcement by the director-general of the Central Elections Committee, Orly Adas, of her resignation: What is the role of the Committee, what is the role of the director-general, what is the significance of this resignation, and what challenges will need to be addressed?

Everything you need to know about the structure and responsibilities of Israel's Knesset (parliament) and how national elections work in Israel.

Former Prime Ministers Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid announced a joint run of the "Bennett 2026" and Yesh Atid parties in the 2026 election. It is certainly possible that we will see additional joint runs like these ahead of the elections, for example, within the center bloc, the right-wing bloc, and among the Arab parties. The assumption is that such a run would benefit the parties and the bloc. But is this assumption correct?

Learn the basics of how the votes Israelis cast on election day are counted and turned into seats in Israel's Knesset.

The regression in women’s representation in Israel is not a decree of fate but the result of political choices, and precisely in an election period, parties have a real opportunity to reverse this trend.

A reform that introduces a personalized component to Israel's elections would strengthen voter influence, enhance accountability of those voted into power, and improve Israel's democratic system.

A fabricated AI-generated image of Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid posted on the Likud's social media accounts is a clear demonstration of a dangerous new form of election propaganda. Urgent steps must be taken to prohibit the use of such materials against one's political opponents.

Israel is entering a pivotal election year—its first since the judicial overhaul and the war that began on October 7, 2023. Throughout the year, IDI is asking its experts which issues will shape the election campaign. IDI President Yohanan Plesner is watching three key areas: national security, including efforts to advance regional stability and examine the failures surrounding October 7; ultra-Orthodox conscription, given the IDF’s manpower needs and the post-war reality; and Israel’s democratic character, as questions surrounding the rule of law and checks and balances return to the center of the public agenda.

With unprecedented technological tools in the hands of foreign and domestic actors, the proliferation of chatbots in the information ecosystem, and outdated regulatory frameworks, the integrity of Israel's 2026 elections will be tested like never before.

Following the release of the IDI's Israeli Democracy Index earlier this week, we're pleased to present the findings of a special chapter on Israeli public opinion ahead of 2026 national elections in Israel.

Instead of debating electoral reforms that seek to preserve and protect the political interests of those in power, let us focus on electoral reform, such as a semi-open ballot system, that would improve governance, increase accountability, and strengthen democracy.

Thirty years ago this week, on June 18, 1996, MK Benjamin Netanyahu was sworn in as Israeli Prime Minister for the first time. Since then, he served a cumulative total of nearly 19 years in office. This makes him one of the longest-serving leaders in the democratic nations.

Hungary's incoming prime minister declared his intention to institute term limits for the prime minister – an exceptional move for a parliament. While similar ideas have been proposed in Israel, term limits are not a substitute for strong democratic institutions based on oversight and checks and balances.