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3:15AM IL: Netanyahu has arrived in Tel Aviv to address the Likud supporters.
“We’re still waiting for the results. But one thing is clear, the State of Israel is at a historic turning point. We are facing immense opportunities, and immense challenges… including the existential threat from Iran…”
Netanyahu says he spoke to his prospective coalition partners and will soon launch negotiations to create a “strong Zionist government” and thwart the formation of an “anti-Zionist” government.
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2:15AM IL: Now, all 3 exit polls now show a majority for the Center-Left bloc over the Center-Right. Likud and Blue and White now both at 32 in the revised Channel 12 exit poll.
1:30AM IL: Kan News as well as News 13 have revised their exit poll showing a deadlock. News 13 shows
Blue and White: 32
Likud: 31
Joint List: 13
Shas: 9
Yisrael Beytenu: 9
United Torah Judaism: 8
Yamina: 7
Democratic Camp: 5
Labor-Gesher: 6
Otzma Yehudit: 0
Right-wing bloc without Liberman: 55
Center-left, Arab parties and Liberman: 65
NEWS 13 REVISED:
Blue and White: 32
Likud: 30
Joint List: 15
Shas: 9
Yisrael Beytenu: 8
United Torah Judaism: 8
Yamina: 6
Democratic Camp: 6
Labor-Gesher: 6
Otzma Yehudit: 0
The survey gives 53 seats for the right-wing bloc, and 67 for the combined center, left, Joint List, and Liberman.
1:00AM IL: The votes are starting to be counted by the Central Elections Committee. Just 0.07% of ballots were counted by midnight.
9:00PM IL: The polls in Israel have closed. The first exit polls from Israel’s three main television channels are published below.
The television exit polls signal there is no clear winner in the election, for now.
In all three surveys, Netanyahu cannot form a right-wing government without Blue and White or Avigdor Liberman’s Yisrael Beytenu.
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THE FOLLOWING ARE ONLY PRELIMINARY EXIT POLLS
NEWS 12:
Blue and White: 34
Likud: 33
Joint List: 11
Yisrael Beytenu: 8
Shas: 8
United Torah Judaism: 8
Yamina: 8
Labor-Gesher: 5
Democratic Camp: 5
Otzma Yehudit: 0
Right-wing bloc without Liberman: 57
Center-left, Arab parties and Liberman: 63
NEWS 13:
Blue and White: 33
Likud: 31
Joint List: 13
Yisrael Beytenu: 8
Shas: 9
United Torah Judaism: 8
Yamina: 6
Labor-Gesher: 6
Democratic Camp: 6
Otzma Yehudit: 0
KAN NEWS:
Blue and White: 32
Likud: 32
Joint List: 12
Yisrael Beytenu: 10
Shas: 9
United Torah Judaism: 8
Yamina: 7
Labor-Gesher: 5
Democratic Camp: 5
Otzma Yehudit: 0
NEWS 11:
Blue and White: 32
Likud: 32
Joint List: 12
Yisrael Beytenu: 10
Shas: 9
United Torah Judaism: 8
Yamina: 7
Labor-Gesher: 5
Democratic Camp: 5
Otzma Yehudit: 0
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8:00PM IL: 63.7% of eligible voters have cast their ballots. That marks a 2.4% increase from the same hour during the April vote.
7:15PM IL: The Central Elections Committee reports that voter turnout has reached 53.5% by 6PM. This is approximately 1.5 points more than the same time of day in the previous election. Approximately 3,418,531 have cast their votes so far.
The Central Elections Committee reported on Tuesday about midday that the voter turnout is 17% higher than the April vote at the same hour, a turnout which is actually the highest in decades. By 2:00PM, voter turnout was 36.5%, according to the committee. That’s approximately 2,331,974 votes.
By 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, 15% of eligible voters – over a million Israelis – had cast their ballots which is 2.1% higher than the number of voters in April at the same time and the highest since 1984. A slightly higher turnout was also reported for Arab areas where voting rates in general lag behind the national rate.
Polling stations in cities opened their doors at 7:00 a.m. and will close at 10 p.m. In smaller towns, stations opened at 8:00 a.m. and will close at 8:00 p.m.
All parties vying for seats in Knesset are calling on their respective constituents to get out and vote as pre-election polls showed that the race is extremely close. This is especially true of the chareidi parties, both Shas and Yahadut Hatorah, as the rabbonim have released a kol korei for the tzibur at large to get out and vote, amid a fearful awareness of what is stake, the future of Yiddishkheit in Eretz Yisrael.
The high turnout so far comes after many predictions that voter turnout will be low due to voter apathy. YWN readers can wonder if the high voter turnout in the first half of the day is due to Chareidim who heard about Rav Chaim Kanievsky’s psak that voting must be accomplished even before Shacharis if one’s shul is further away than his polling station. Additionally, Rav Chaim ruled that one cannot eat breakfast before voting and fulfilling the mitzvah of “V’asita k’chol asher yorucha” and that someone who is fulfilling the mitzvah of bris milah on Election Day should vote before the bris.
Both HaGaon HaRav Chaim Kanievsky Shlita and the Gerre Rebbe Shlita for example have instructed bnei Torah not to leave the country prior to elections and for those abroad to return home in time to vote if and when possible.
A high voter turnout can be bad news for small parties in Israel’s electoral system, which is based on proportional representation since small ideological parties usually receive a fixed number of votes, unlike the larger parties.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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18 Responses
why no picture of Ahmed Tibi, he might be the next defense minister if Gantz wins.
With all respect, why isore than one person allowed to be with Rabbi Kanievsky when he picks up his ballot? While I don’t doubt that voter fraud was not committed in his case, seeing this at the polling station makes me wonder what else could happen there
Nowecant: Also no reporting of last minute rumors that Bibi wants to make EY the 51st State of the U.S. with support from Trump. Maybe somone in the media has a bit more sechel then you.
In such an advanced hi-tech country, they still use paper ballots?
Only factor that shall change results from last election are who just passes or just misses minimum threshold, as these minor change in number of votes, cause a difference of 4 seats.
The fact of in Apikorsim be it left or right is highly questionable. And to watch the chareide MK voting makes one think how in the world a true Yid can sit in a machis haminim. There is nothing Torahdig about it. Its chazir treif. Makes my blood boil.
Nowecant: I am so sorry for my previous comment. I should be more careful how I talk. I will try to work on myself during Elul and the rest of the year. I am sorry for comparing your mental capacity to the media.
Ksiva V’chasima Tova.
Miriam knows better then the Gedolei Hador.
she knows Chazir and whats Torahdig.
she also knows who are Apikorsim…B’H
what we know is which school you went to.
Nebech
Although it’s true that practically speaking the gedolei haDor ruled that one should vote, Miriam’s point is still correct.
All advanced countries use paper ballots. Even New York has finally progressed to paper ballots, after decades of relying on the notorious machines that were incapable of being audited.
I guess pink pantsuits are tzniusdik enough for the Yeshiva World in 2019…
ALL YIDS SHOULD VOTE LIKE THE GADOL HADOR. THE SATMAR ARE CAUSING GREAT HARM BY NOT VOTING. IF THEY ALL VOTED AS THEY SHOULD UTJ WOULD HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED AND MORE HALACHIC RULINGS WILL SAVE THE JEWISH PEOPLE FROM POSSIBLY ANTI-HALACHIC RULINGS IN THE KNESSSET.
ALL YIDS SHOULD VOTE LIKE THE GADOL HADOR. THE SATMAR ARE CAUSING GREAT HARM BY NOT VOTING. IF THEY ALL VOTED AS THEY SHOULD UTJ WOULD HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED AND MORE HALACHIC RULINGS WILL SAVE THE JEWISH PEOPLE FROM POSSIBLY ANTI-HALACHIC RULINGS IN THE KNESSET.
Two obvious points.
First, its time for Bibi to make sure he has a good criminal lawyer since there is now zero likelihood the new Knesset will vote to grant him immunity from criminal prosecution as he had hoped a Likud dominated coalition would do.
Second, expect the religious parties to organize an asifah for their leadership to scream “gevalt” since it is clear that the Israeli electorate has determined that they will likely not be included in a new “Zionist” coalition. Even Bibi appears to have thrown them under the bus in an effort to cling to power.We should all be indebted to those rabbonim calling for an electoral boycott.
Hey Miriam, I’m sure you are kvelling about the thought of coalition led by the secular parties.
Miriam’s You know nothing. The Gedolim said to vote.
Your blood boils when you see what the Torah and Hashem want.
You need to do Teshuva!
Miriam
Does it make your blood boil when Rebeim receive Progressive politicians such as Jerry Nadler or Bill Deblasio?
These politicians support many policies that are anathema to a religious Jew.
If you live in the USA today who do you vote for? There are almost no politicians who represent our values and also lead exemplary private lives.
That is today’s reality.
Imagine if the Medina would have computerized ballots. It would never end!
Nowecant: Note the apology and the commitment to do tshuvah during Chodesh Elul came from someone who also needs to additional tshuvah for misappropriating the screen name of Gadolhadorah with the name of Gadolhatorah.