Israel’s election is underway, with the first ballots cast at diplomatic missions worldwide ahead of the national vote on Oct. 27. Roughly 4,800 eligible voters can participate at 101 polling stations across 99 missions, in an operation coordinated by the Foreign Ministry and Central Elections Committee.

Voting opened first in Wellington, New Zealand, followed by Fiji, and is moving west across time zones over approximately 30 hours. Los Angeles and San Francisco will be the last to close. New York hosts the largest overseas polling station, with more than 700 eligible voters.

But the opening of embassy polling stations does not mean every Israeli abroad can vote there. Eligibility is restricted to qualifying official personnel and their families; most Israelis overseas must return home to vote. Ballots cast at the missions will be flown to Israel and transferred to the Knesset for counting.

At Israel’s embassy in Baku, President Isaac Herzog marked the opening alongside Ambassador Ronen Kraus, describing the election as a “celebration of democracy.”

The next phase will take ballot boxes to soldiers. Early military voting begins on the evening of Oct. 20, with approximately 850 polling stations planned across IDF units and operational sectors, including beyond Israel’s borders. Around a quarter will be mobile, reaching active-duty troops and reservists at remote positions while military operations continue.

Those mobile stations will travel with armed security, their ballot boxes locked between stops. Soldiers will use double envelopes so officials can check against civilian voting records and prevent duplicate votes. The military says its election operation will remain strictly nonpartisan, allowing troops to exercise their rights without compromising their duties.