Elections in Israel - 2/4 This is how today's voting works: Israel counts the votes as one national district. The voters voted for the party. After that, the 120 seats are distributed among the parties in proportion to their share of votes. A party that wins 20% of the votes gets about 24 mandates. Before the elections, each party publishes a ranked list of its candidates. If a party wins 10 seats, the first 10 people on its list enter the Knesset. A party must win at least 3.25% of the national vote, roughly four seats, to get any seats at all. Votes for parties that dip below this line are thrown away. This is why smaller parties unite into joint lists before every election, and why one of the lingering questions tonight is which small parties clear the 3.25% threshold and which fall short. The polls close at 22:00 Israel time and exit polls are published immediately after.

Elections in Israel - 2/4 This is how today's voting works: Israel counts the votes as one national district. The voters voted for the party. After that, the 120 seats are distributed among the parties in proportion to their share of votes. A party that wins 20% of the votes gets about 24 mandates. Before the elections, each party publishes a ranked list of its candidates. If a party wins 10 seats, the first 10 people on its list enter the Knesset. A party must win at least 3.25% of the national vote, roughly four seats, to get any seats at all. Votes for parties that dip below this line are thrown away. This is why smaller parties unite into joint lists before every election, and why one of the lingering questions tonight is which small parties clear the 3.25% threshold and which fall short. The polls close at 22:00 Israel time and exit polls are published immediately after.