Voter turnout in Israel's election for the 26th Knesset continued to break records Tuesday, reaching 74.3% by 8 p.m., the highest rate recorded at that hour since 1988, according to the Central Elections Committee. A total of 5,449,277 Israelis had voted out of 7,331,981 eligible voters, compared with 66.3% at the same hour in the previous election. But where has participation been highest, and which communities are lagging far behind?
Updated locality figures from the election data dashboard, last refreshed at 8:41 p.m., reveal striking differences across Israel, with turnout ranging from nearly 98% in one community to just 13.2% in another. The figures were updated at different times for individual communities, meaning they do not all reflect voting at precisely the same hour.
Voters in Tel Aviv
(Photo: AP Photo/David Goldman)
The highest reported turnout was in Bat Hen, a small community in central Israel, where 97.9% of eligible voters had cast their ballots. It was followed by Zavdiel at 94.3%, Beit Hogla at 92.5%, Timorim at 91.6% and Yuval, near the Lebanese border, at 91.5%.
Other communities reporting turnout above 90% included Megiddo at 91.4%, Hazon and Yesodot at 91.1% each, al-Aryan at 90.7% and Shorashim at 90.1%.
Several communities that had appeared among the highest-turnout localities earlier in the day also recorded increases. Asael reached 86.6%, while Shlomit stood at 84.8%. Melilot remained listed at 79.4%, although its entry had not been updated since the afternoon.
The communities with the lowest turnout
At the other end of the list, Sha'ar Menashe continued to record the lowest reported turnout, at 13.2%, according to an entry last updated at 6:16 p.m.
Other communities with particularly low reported participation included Yotvata at 21.4%, Aloney Yitzhak at 21.6%, Ibim at 24%, the Janabib tribal locality at 24.8%, Nir Oz at 25.2% and Holit at 26.4%.
However, some of the lowest figures had not been refreshed for several hours. Yotvata's 21.4%, for example, was last updated shortly after noon, making direct comparisons with localities whose figures were updated during the evening potentially misleading.
Several communities that had appeared near the bottom earlier in the day reported substantially higher turnout in the latest figures. Ghajar, near the Lebanese border, reached 43.5%, compared with 16.7% earlier, while Almon rose from 20.7% to 74.6%.
How are Israel's major cities voting?
Among Israel's larger cities, Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut stood out with turnout of 76.5%, followed by Rehovot at 70.3% and Petah Tikva at 70.2%. Herzliya recorded 69.2%, while Ramat Gan and Rishon LeZion each reached 68.6%.
In Tel Aviv-Yafo, turnout stood at 63.6%, compared with 62% in Jerusalem and 59.8% in Haifa. Ashdod recorded 65.3%, Holon 66%, Be'er Sheva 63%, Netanya 57.3% and Bat Yam 53%.
Other urban centers reported 72.5% in Bnei Brak, 65.9% in Ashkelon, 68.7% in Ra'anana and 79% in Rosh HaAyin. Eilat, meanwhile, recorded 48.2%, lower than most of the major cities included in the dashboard.
The new figures reflect significant increases since the afternoon. At 4 p.m., Tel Aviv stood at 50.4%, Jerusalem at 47.7%, Haifa at 46.2% and Rishon LeZion at 50.9%.
Tel Aviv challenges the official turnout calculation
Earlier in the day, Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality issued an unusual statement disputing the turnout figures published by the Central Elections Committee.
According to the municipality, the city's actual turnout at 4 p.m. was 63.5%, substantially higher than the official figure of 50.4% reported at that hour.
"The source of the error is that the calculation is based on eligible voters registered in the Population Registry, rather than more up-to-date data from the Central Bureau of Statistics," the municipality said.
The municipality argued that the Population Registry listed 490,900 eligible voters aged 18 and older in the city, while Central Bureau of Statistics data from 2024 showed approximately 365,000 residents in that age group. It maintained that turnout should be calculated using the bureau's population figures rather than the registry.
The Central Elections Committee's later dashboard update placed Tel Aviv's turnout at 63.6%, but that figure refers to a later reporting period and should not be confused with the municipality's alternative calculation for 4 p.m.
Arab and ultra-Orthodox communities
Among Arab-majority cities, Rahat in southern Israel recorded turnout of 79.8%, compared with 60.6% at 4 p.m. Sakhnin reported an even higher rate of 83.5%.
Shefa-'Amr reached 72.5%, Nazareth 70%, Umm al-Fahm 70.1% and Tamra 76.8%. Tayibe recorded 74.3%, while the Bedouin town of Hura in the Negev stood at 76.3%.
In predominantly ultra-Orthodox cities, Elad led with turnout of 80%, followed by Modi'in Illit at 77.3%, Beitar Illit at 74.5% and Bnei Brak at 72.5%.
All four cities recorded substantial increases compared with the afternoon. At 4 p.m., Elad had reported 59% turnout, Modi'in Illit 58.8%, Bnei Brak 53.3% and Beitar Illit 52%.
Gaza-border communities and the northern frontier
In the Negev and communities near the Gaza border, turnout varied considerably. Netivot reached 75.2%, followed by Ofakim at 71.5% and Sderot at 69%.
In several kibbutzim affected by the October 7 attack, the reported figures remained considerably lower. Be'eri recorded 35.8%, Kfar Aza 33.6% and Nir Oz 25.2%. Holit stood at 26.4%, while Kissufim reported 54.8%.
Other communities near Gaza reported significantly higher participation, including Re'im at 71.5%, Nahal Oz at 70.7%, Nir Am at 70.3% and Zikim at 68.8%.
Along Israel's northern border, Shlomi reported turnout of 68.1%, Nahariya 65.3%, Acre 64.2%, Kiryat Shmona 59.3% and Metula 51.7%.
The differences were particularly striking when compared with Yuval, a community near the Lebanese border, where turnout had reached 91.5%.