Election Day in Israel
Election Day in IsraelFlash90

The Knesset Finance Committee will meet Monday to approve the budget for the upcoming national elections – a whopping quarter of a billion shekels (about $65 million).

The Committee will discuss the exact amounts to be laid out for expenses relating to the election – including salaries for workers who will be managing and watching ballot boxes on election day (NIS 58 million), outlay for setting up computer systems to tabulate the results at each polling station (NIS 22 million), money to prepare polling stations, print up ballot tickets, information posters etc. (NIS 83 million), and “extra” money for last minute expenses (NIS 7 million).

Money also has to be provided for security at polling places (NIS 2,250,000), printed materials (NIS 3,600,000), management costs (NIS 5,400,000), and car rentals (NIS 850,000). And so on.

Distribution of the money will be supervised by the State Election Committee, which is responsible for ensuring a smooth, secure, and fair election. Most of the money will be spent by the Committee, which will order the services for each polling district, but many of the contractors will be local, especially in far-flung committees.

Some 60,000 people will be hired for one day of work on election day, to watch ballot boxes, check registration lists, and ensure that the vote goes fairly. A member of a local polling station committee, which manages the polling station, will receive NIS 1,060 for a day's work; an usher (who calls in the voters to the ballot box as they wait on line) will earn NIS 1,160 for the day; and a polling station manager will get NIS 1,962 for their Election Day job.