Israel's central election committee denies request to extend voting hours

On October 27, 2026, Israel’s Central Election Committee (CEC) rejected a request from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party to extend voting hours beyond the scheduled 10 p.m. closing time. The decision followed record-breaking voter turnout, which reached 66.7 percent by 6 p.m., marking a 9 percent increase compared to the same period during the 2022 elections.

The main opposition party, Yashar, led by Gadi Eisenkot, had strongly opposed the extension, characterizing the Likud request as a strategic move to undermine the integrity of the election process. Throughout the day, the anti-Netanyahu bloc and the opposition parties filed multiple complaints with the committee regarding alleged irregularities, including reports of ballot slips being removed or damaged at polling stations and the use of unauthorized monitoring apps in northern Israel.

Netanyahu and his far-right coalition partners had urged their supporters to vote, repeatedly claiming that the election was being “stolen” through a campaign they termed a racist effort. Meanwhile, existing Israeli law maintains that voters who arrive at a polling station by 10 p.m. are still permitted to cast their ballots, ensuring that the electoral process continues under established guidelines despite the day's high political tensions.