Soldier Voting
Soldier VotingIDF Spokesperson

While Israeli citizens only began voting Tuesday morning, IDF soldiers across Israeli have been casting their ballots since Saturday night. 

For elections, the IDF distributed polling stations to seven command centers: Central Command, Southern Command, Northern Command, Home Front Command, the Technology and Logistics Division, the Navy, and the Air Force.

The command centers were divided into over 60 areas, each with an elections authority officiating. In total 688 ballot stations were set up for soldiers across the Jewish state. 

The first to vote on Saturday night were Air Force officers in the Sde Dov airport, before traveling abroad as part of official military duties. 

On Monday, there were 15 polling stations running throughout IDF bases, including: Navy bases in Haifa and Ashdod, Air Force bases, the Observation Unit of the Southern Command, the Home Front Command base, the bases of infantry battalions in the Golan Heights and bases in Judea and Samaria. 

About a quarter of the polling stations for the IDF are mobile polling station, meaning the ballot box is transported with polling committee members to a various number of bases. When each soldier has voted, the ballot box is locked, and brought to be counted by Knesset officials. 

Ballot Committee members are soldiers serving in the rank of staff sergeant. They work under the command units when there are elections. 

Soldiers are handed two envelopes when they vote at military polls - a blue inner envelope where the soldier puts the ballot note for the party of his/her choice and larger external envelope to register their personal information. 

When the soldiers' votes are counted in the Knesset, officials make sure the soldier is entitled to vote at the military base, and is not registered elsewhere, such as in their home city

Then, the inner envelope  is passed on for counting, while the outer envelope is destroyed.