parties) and thus be allocated seats. The relatively low threshold makes representation of minor parties more likely under the Israeli electoral system than many comparable systems used in other countries. Two parties can make an agreement so that both parties' sum of surplus votes are combined, and if the combined surplus votes amount to an extra seat, the extra seat goes to the party with the greater number of surplus votes. Voting begins 12 days before election day for the general public in Israeli diplomatic missions worldwide for Israelis serving abroad in an official capacity and their families, and for Israeli sailors on Israeli ships at sea. Polling stations for serving soldiers open 72 hours before election day and soldiers may cast their votes from then up to the end of the election. Election day is a legally mandated national holiday. Most public polling stations are open between 7:00 AM and 10:00 PM, though if voters are still in line at 10:00 PM the station will remain open until everyone has voted. Polling stations in small communities with fewer than 350 residents, hospitals, and prisons are open between 8:00 AM and 8:00 PM. Patients and staff in hospitals not able to vote during election hours are entitled to special permits allowing them to vote after polling stations in hospitals are closed to everyone else. Every resident eligible to vote is assigned to a particular polling station close to their registered address, which maintains a list of all voters eligible to vote at that station. At the polling station, officials check the identification of voters to ensure that they are assigned to that particular station, check off their names in the list of voters for that station, and hand the voter an envelope. The voter selects the ballot slip of his or her party of choice behind a divider, places the slip into the envelope, then emerges from behind the partition to place it in the ballot box. Special polling stations are set up in hospitals, prisons, diplomatic missions abroad, military bases, women's shelters, and Israeli ships to enable medical professionals, patients, diplomats and their families, Jewish Agency staff abroad, soldiers, prison inmates and staff, sailors, and residents of women's shelters to vote. Polling stations with accessibility for the handicapped are set up around the country and police officers on duty may vote at any polling station. However, to ensure that