Israeli Representatives in New York Vote For 20th Knesset in Record Numbers

Hundreds of representatives of the State of Israel from various government ministries to dignitaries representing Israel in the New York’s Jewish community gathered at the Consulate General of Israel in New York to cast their early votes ahead of the 20th Knesset.

The high voter turnout spoke to the commitment of Israelis serving the State abroad who are active in helping to shape the next Israeli parliament, the Israeli Consulate said in a statement.

Polls were open from 9:00 am until 8:00 pm, as Israeli government officials and ambassadors, dignitaries of the scouts, employees of ElAl Airlines, and those eligible to vote from the Jewish National Fund and Keren HaYasod came to cast their vote.

To oversee the day’s voting, 23 Consular employees staffed the process with a special telephone line set up connecting voters who may have had questions that were unanswerable in New York directly to the Election Committee of the Knesset, overseen by an official judge.

Officials had estimated that voting in New York for the 20th Knesset would surpass the numbers seen at the Consulate for the last election. With an estimated 800 voters coming to the ballots—twice the number seen for Israelis in New York who voted for the 19th Knesset—Israelis serving abroad demonstrated their commitment to the democratic process and their steadfast desire to take part in defining the Israel of tomorrow.

The last Israeli election in New York featured a turnout of nearly 99% of those eligible to vote taking part in the process, with the same rate having been projected for the upcoming election. With the completion of the day’s voting, all ballots were locked in a safe room and sent to Israel the next morning. Voting for the 20th Knesset will officially take place on March 17th in Israel.