Israel's elections committee rejects Likud bid to keep polls open past 22:00

Israel's Central Elections Committee has turned down a request by the Likud party to extend voting hours in the country's general election, and polling stations will close at 22:00 as originally scheduled. The Times of Israel reported that the committee rejected Likud's request, and the Hebrew news site News.co.il said the committee had ruled that the closing time would stay at 22:00 with no change.

The decision came on election day itself. Ynet reported earlier in the evening that the committee would meet at 19:15 to consider the request, and a later Ynet alert said the committee had decided that voting would not be extended. Dafna Liel of the Israeli broadcaster N12 reported the same outcome, saying ballot boxes would close at 22:00.

What the Central Elections Committee does

The Central Elections Committee is the official body responsible for running elections to the Knesset, Israel's parliament. On election day it oversees the operation of polling stations and rules on disputes and requests from the parties competing in the vote, including, as in this case, requests concerning when voting ends. Its decision means the scheduled closing time remains in force.

The Jerusalem Post described the request as one to extend voting time past 10 p.m., which corresponds to the 22:00 closing time cited by the Hebrew outlets. A photograph published with that report showed people at the Mahane Yehuda market in Jerusalem and was captioned as having been taken on Israel's general election day, October 27, 2026.

Who made the request

Most of the reports attribute the request to Likud, the political party. Ynet's first alert described it differently, as a request from the coalition, meaning the parties that make up the governing majority in the Knesset. The reports do not explain whether the request was filed by Likud alone or on behalf of its coalition partners, and this article does not try to settle the point.

Opposition to the request

At least one political figure publicly objected before the committee ruled. Journalist Amit Segal reported that Eisenkot was firmly opposed to Likud's request to lengthen voting hours, quoting him as saying there was "no justification" for it. The report does not set out Eisenkot's full argument, and none of the material indicates whether other parties lodged formal objections with the committee.

A note on timing

The reports differ on when the outcome became public. The Jerusalem Post's report stating that the request had been denied carries a publication time earlier in the day than Ynet's alert announcing that the committee would convene to discuss it. The Times of Israel likewise first reported that the committee was set to discuss the request, and only later that it had been rejected. The Hebrew outlets News.co.il and N12 carried the decision at almost the same moment as Ynet's second alert. The material does not explain the gap, and it is possible that reports were updated after first publication, but the sources do not say so.

What the reports do not say

Several basic questions are left unanswered by the reports available so far:

• Why Likud asked for more time. None of the reports gives the reason behind the request, such as turnout, queues at polling stations or problems in particular areas.
• How long an extension was sought. The reports say only that Likud wanted voting to continue beyond the scheduled close, not by how much.
• How the committee reached its decision. There is no account of who sat on the panel that ruled, whether there was a vote, or what reasoning the committee gave.
• Whether the request applied nationwide. The reports do not say whether Likud sought longer hours across the country or only at certain polling stations.
• Likud's response. None of the material includes a reaction from Likud to the rejection, or any indication of whether it plans to challenge it.

Until further detail is published, the confirmed points are limited: the request was made, Eisenkot opposed it, the committee met to consider it, and polls are set to close at 22:00.