Election Day in Jerusalem: What's Open, Transport and How to Vote (27 October 2026)

23 Oct 2026 · 7 min

Tuesday 27 October is a day off with free trains and an open city. What closes, how to get around, and what to bring to the polling station.

Short answer: Tuesday 27 October 2026 is election day for the 26th Knesset. It is a paid day off for most workers and there is no school. Public transport runs, and trains and intercity buses are free from 20:00 on Monday 26 October until service ends on Tuesday. Jerusalem's city buses and light rail charge the normal fare. Banks, the post office and government offices are closed, and most malls, cafés and restaurants are open. Polls are open from 07:00 to 22:00. You vote at the station for your registered address and bring your teudat zehut, a valid Israeli passport or a valid Israeli driving licence with your photo. Correct as of 23 October 2026.

Is it a day off?

Yes, for most people. Basic Law: The Knesset makes election day a shabbaton, a statutory day of rest, "but transport and other public services operate as usual". If you have worked for your employer for at least 14 days in a row before the election, you are paid for the day. It does not come off your annual leave.
If you are asked to work. Employers in services that run as usual (transport, restaurants and hotels, hospitals, security, utilities, the media and some others) can require you to work. Other employers need your agreement. The law does not set a rate for working that day, but the usual practice is 200% pay, or normal pay plus the same time off. Either way, your employer must let you go and vote. Nefesh B'Nefesh's summary covers employment rights in English.
Foreign workers. Non-Israeli workers in home care, hotels, restaurants, construction, agriculture and industry who work that day get their normal wage, not the election-day payment.
Schools. The Ministry of Education confirms that the day is a shabbaton across the education system too. There is no school or gan on Tuesday.

Transport

Free trains and intercity buses. The Central Elections Committee is paying for free travel on all Israel Railways trains and on about 660 intercity bus lines longer than 15 km. Free travel runs from 20:00 on Monday 26 October until public transport stops on Tuesday night. On an eligible bus you board without a ticket or ID. The list of lines is on the Ministry of Transport information line, *8787. For the train, collect the free ticket at a station counter or ticket machine. Eilat needs advance registration with Egged, *2800.
Jerusalem–Tel Aviv train. Expect full trains: in 2022, train ridership on election day was a third higher than on a normal day. News reports mention extra trains on the Jerusalem line and possible police limits on trips to and from Jerusalem, so check the Israel Railways app or *5770 for the day's arrangements before you go.
City buses and the light rail. Both run, because the law keeps transport operating, but they are not free. Pay with your Rav-Kav as usual. The day's timetable had not been published when we checked, so look up your line in Moovit or your usual app before you set out. Getting around Jerusalem explains fares and the Rav-Kav.
Driving. Petrol stations and car parks stay open. Roads out to parks and nature sites get busy, because most of the country has the day off.

What's open

Banks: closed. The Bank of Israel lists 27 October as a day with no representative exchange rate, no transfers to or from abroad and no interbank transfers. Anything urgent, such as a transfer, a cheque or a branch visit, should be done by Monday.
Israel Post: closed. Parcel collection waits until Wednesday; see how mail works in Jerusalem.
Government offices: closed, with one exception for voters. The Population Authority opens special offices on election day, including one in Jerusalem, from 08:00 to 18:00. They issue a temporary ID, valid only for voting, to people who have lost theirs; bring two recent passport photos. Check the address on *3450.
Health funds. Maccabi's medical centres, labs and Maccabi Pharm pharmacies are closed. Its phone line (*3555) answers until 15:00, and its medical advice line (*3555, then 4) and urgent-care centres stay open (Maccabi's notice). Clalit, Meuhedet and Leumit had not published their arrangements on 23 October, so check your fund's app. Hospitals run as they do on Shabbat and chagim. Seeing a doctor in Jerusalem lists the urgent-care options.
Pharmacies. No chain had published election-day hours on 23 October. Fill prescriptions on Monday if you can, and see pharmacies open at night and on Shabbat for the duty pharmacy.
Malls, shops, restaurants and cafés: mostly open. Malls, chains, restaurants, cafés and cinemas usually open, and many shops run election-day sales. Each business decides for itself, so a small shop may close.
Supermarkets. Most are expected to open, but no chain had announced its hours, and the rules let food shops require staff to work only in the morning (06:00–14:00). Some branches may close early. Shop on Monday if you need something; our supermarket guide lists the chains.

Voting: who, what to bring, where

Who can vote

Israeli citizens who are 18 by election day and appear on the voter register. There is nothing to register for: the register is drawn from the Population Registry.
Olim. You can vote if you were an Israeli citizen recorded in the Population Registry with an address on the day the register was drawn up. By law that is the Thursday before the last day for party lists, which this time was 3 September 2026. If you made aliyah after that date, you are not on this register. New olim has more for the first months.
Moved recently? The same date applies to addresses. If your new address was registered after 3 September, you vote at the station for your old one.
You must be in Israel. There is no postal or absentee voting for ordinary citizens abroad; voting outside Israel's borders is only at Israeli diplomatic missions (for state staff posted there) and on Israeli ships.
Tourists, students on a visa and permanent residents who are not citizens cannot vote in Knesset elections.

What to bring

One of these: your teudat zehut; a valid Israeli passport; a valid Israeli driving licence with your photo; or, for soldiers in regular or career service, a valid military ID. The law does not require the teudat zehut to be in date, and an expired one is accepted.
Not accepted: a foreign passport, a Rav-Kav, or a photo of your ID on your phone.
Lost your ID? Use the Population Authority's election-day offices described above.
You do not need the voter notice that comes in the post.

Where and when

Hours. Most polling stations are open from 07:00 to 22:00. Small communities (350 voters or fewer), hospitals, prisons and care homes are open from 08:00 to 20:00. If you are in the queue at closing time, you can still vote.
Your station only. You can vote only at the polling station whose list includes your name, which depends on your registered address. Look it up by teudat zehut number on the Interior Ministry's voter lookup or the Central Elections Committee site; Moovit also shows polling stations this year.
Accessible stations. A voter with limited mobility can vote at any accessible polling station, in a double envelope.
Results. Counting starts when the polls close at 22:00 and early results come through the night. Official results must be published by 4 November.

With children

There is no school or gan on Tuesday; many school buildings are polling stations. Private daycare (maonot) and private ganim set their own rules, so ask yours.
The Jerusalem Botanical Gardens in Givat Ram has election-day activities from 10:00 to 15:00: a ballot box where visitors vote for a favourite wildflower, guided tours, the Flower Train and family workshops, included with admission. Parks, nature reserves and museums open, and paid attractions charge their normal prices. For more ideas, see Jerusalem with kids.
Parks and day-trip spots are busiest in the middle of the day. Go early or late.

Common questions

Is election day a holiday in Israel?

It is a shabbaton, a statutory paid day off for most workers, and schools are closed. Unlike Shabbat or a chag, public transport runs and most shops, malls and restaurants open.

Is public transport free on election day 2026?

Trains and intercity buses on routes longer than 15 km are free from 20:00 on Monday 26 October until service ends on Tuesday 27 October. City buses and the Jerusalem light rail charge the normal fare.

Are banks open on election day?

No. Banks and Israel Post are closed, and the Bank of Israel makes no transfers abroad or between banks that day. Do anything urgent by Monday 26 October.

Can new olim vote in the 2026 Knesset election?

Yes, if you were an Israeli citizen recorded in the Population Registry with an address by 3 September 2026, the day the voter register was drawn up. If you made aliyah after that date, you are not on this register.

Can I vote with a foreign passport or an expired ID card?

Not with a foreign passport. Bring your teudat zehut, which is accepted even if expired, a valid Israeli passport or a valid Israeli driving licence with your photo.

Hebrew you will meet

בחירות — bechirot — elections
יום שבתון — yom shabbaton — a statutory day of rest
קלפי — kalpi — polling station; also the ballot box
פנקס הבוחרים — pinkas habocharim — the voter register
פתק — petek — the ballot slip with a party's letters
הודעה לבוחר — hoda'a labocher — the voter notice sent by post
תעודת זהות — teudat zehut — identity card
ועדת הבחירות המרכזית — va'adat habechirot hamerkazit — the Central Elections Committee