Early voting for the Knesset elections commenced Wednesday evening as 4,000 Israeli envoys start casting their ballots in 96 missions around the world. Israel’s embassy in Wellington, New Zealand was  the first to open its polls at 11 pm Israel time. Overseas voting will conclude in Los Angeles on Friday morning.

According to a statement by the Central Elections Committee, official Israeli delegates including diplomats, civil servants, Jewish agency workers, Jewish National Fund and World Zionist Organization staff — have been voting overseas since 1996. The envoys’ spouses and children under 20 are also allowed to vote abroad.

A total of 10 polling stations will be set up in the United States compared to China’s four and Turkey’s two. There will not be a vote in Cairo.

The largest polling station will open at the Israeli consulate in New York where 600 registered voters will be able to cast their ballots. The smallest stations will be set up for as few as four or five envoys. The overseas voting rate in the previous Knesset elections stood at 62.3%.

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