Employee Rights on Election Day: Day Off, Work and Pay

A Paid Day Off

Basic Law: The Knesset provides that Election Day is a day off. An employee who worked for the employer continuously for at least 14 days immediately before the election is entitled to their regular pay for that day, without a day being deducted from their annual leave. The law does not define the precise boundaries of the day off, but a common legal interpretation links them to voting hours—from 07:00 to 22:00; in places where polling stations close at 20:00, a different approach may apply.

Who May Be Required to Work

Before every election, the Central Elections Committee publishes a list of public services that continue to operate as usual. The list may include public transportation, security and rescue services, hospitals, communications services, water and electricity supply, as well as restaurants, cafés and hotels. If the workplace is included on the list, the employer may require the employee to report for a shift; if it is not, the employer may not do so. An employee working on that day must also be given time to vote at the polling station where they are registered.

Pay for a Shift and Overtime

According to Labor Court rulings, work on Election Day is customarily compensated at 200% of regular pay, or at 100% with paid rest for a period equal to the number of hours worked. An exception has been noted for foreign workers in the caregiving, construction, hotel and restaurant, agriculture, and industrial sectors. The method of calculating overtime pay has not yet been finally determined by the National Labor Court: calculations of 250% and 300%, or 225% and 250%, are used, depending on the number of hours. Certain election committee workers and observers receive a fixed lump sum with no additional overtime pay, and it may be paid within 60 days after the election.

Election Campaigns, Taxation and Minors

Temporary income of up to 19,600 shekels from work for the Central Elections Committee or a political party, during the period from 60 days before the election until 14 days afterward, is subject to income tax withheld at a fixed rate of 18%, without tax brackets or tax credit points, as well as reduced National Insurance contributions. Such income, up to 19,600 shekels, does not affect unemployment benefits or other benefits. The Youth Employment Law permits the employment of minors from age 14 during school vacations, and from age 16 during the school year outside school hours; night work and work at height are prohibited. Minors are entitled to the minimum wage applicable to their age and, for Election Day itself, to 200% pay as well as, where relevant, an overtime supplement; the special 18% tax is not withheld from them.

Political Pressure and Expression of Opinions

An employer commits a serious criminal offense if they exploit their position to pressure an employee with the aim of influencing the employee’s vote. The Equal Employment Opportunities Law prohibits discrimination on the grounds of political views or party affiliation in hiring, promotion, determination of employment conditions and dismissal. However, an employer may require a neutral appearance in the workplace and intervene in an employee’s publications if there is a material connection to the workplace and the employer suffers actual harm. A blanket prohibition on employees of a private company expressing lawful and moderate political opinions on their personal accounts in their free time is not permitted.

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