Rights10/27/2026

Central Elections Committee Clarifies Voting Rules to Reduce Queues

Israel's Central Elections Committee updated its instructions for polling station committee secretaries. Voting is also permitted using an expired identity card if the photograph is clear and allows the voter to be identified.

Key facts

•Body: Israel's Central Elections Committee
•Publication date: 27.10.2026
•Publication time: 14:36
•An expired identity card is accepted if the photograph is clear
•People with disabilities are entitled to immediate priority
•The name of the applicable law is not stated in the source

What Has Changed at Polling Stations

Polling station committee secretaries were instructed to streamline the voting process. In particular, they must prevent delays when envelopes are signed and when voters proceed behind the voting screen.

Expired Identity Card

The expiration of an identity card does not in itself prevent voting. The document may be used if the photograph in it is clear and allows the person presenting it to be identified.

Priority for People with Disabilities

Voters with disabilities must be given immediate priority. They must also be allowed to enter the voting room with a companion of their choice—in accordance with the law. The name of the specific law is not stated in the source.

Purpose of the New Instructions

The updated instructions are intended to reduce congestion and queues at polling stations. The report did not mention any legal proceeding or the enactment of a new law: these are instructions from the Central Elections Committee to polling station committee secretaries.

What this means for you

A voter must not be refused solely because their identity card has expired, if they can be reliably identified from the photograph. A person with a disability is entitled to receive service without waiting and to be accompanied in the voting room in accordance with the provisions of the law.

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