{
  "id": 16747702,
  "title": "'Don't feel like waiting': Voters complain of long lines at polling stations amid historic turnout",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/27/dont-feel-like-waiting-voters-complain-of-long-lines-at-polling",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-27T13:18:51.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Jerusalem Post",
    "slug": "jerusalem-post",
    "url": "https://www.jpost.com/israel-election-2026/article-913033"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Voters are encountering lengthy delays at polling stations during a historic turnout, including in rural areas close to the Gaza border. One resident expressed frustration, stating \"I don't feel like waiting.\" A security guard at a polling station in Ofakim advised a family, \"One at a time, Dad, can I come with you? No, you have to go into the voting booth alone.\" Election Day has attracted tens of thousands of individuals to polling stations, shopping centers, and entertainment venues. The new shopping center in Ofakim, where popular Rachela restaurant was visited by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his team, is fully operational and brimming with customers. Supermarket, electronics store, grocery store, and baby product store are all bustling with shoppers. The corner café, known for its bakery, is packed with customers. A family with three children enters the café, and their political preferences are evident from the shirts they wear featuring ballot slips with their chosen party's insignia. Political debates can be overheard at most tables, discussing topics such as the performance of outgoing ministers and Knesset members. Ride-sharing services to polling stations are reportedly still available. News about events in various communities is disseminated via WhatsApp, text messages, email, and social media. One woman reported receiving an offer of 500 shekels to vote for a specific party, but declined. A woman with a megaphone attempts to persuade passersby to vote for her preferred party, deeming it the only deserving choice. The polling station itself is filled with voters.",
  "summary": "Near a polling station next to a high school, a woman with a megaphone makes a final effort to convince passersby to vote for her preferred party.",
  "key_points": [
    "Voters face long lines at polling stations during historic turnout.",
    "Security guards enforce one-at-a-time rule for family members.",
    "Political debates and persuasion tactics observed in polling areas."
  ],
  "editors_take": "Unprecedented voter participation is straining local infrastructure and creating logistical hurdles that test the patience of citizens attempting to cast their ballots in both urban and rural areas.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}