Only 61% of Israelis plan on voting in September election
Among those polled, the highest voting rates are in the secular and Haredi communities (both at 70%), with the lowest voting rates affecting the Arabic community (37%).
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFMK Ayman Odeh, the leader of Hadash-Ta'al Party, and Benny gantz, head of the Blue and White Party.(photo credit: REUTERS)
A joint poll by Israel Hayom and i24news concluded Sunday that only 61% of potential voters plan on voting in the general elections next month. While the poll may be disheartening, it is still an improvement over the 57% who sure about voting in a similar poll conducted prior to the previous elections.The poll was conducted by "Maagar Mochot" institute and headed by Prof. Yitzhak Katz, and included 611 participants, a representative sample size with a 4% margin of error.Israel Hayom reporters reached out to different political parties to hear their plans for raising the amount of voters in the next election cycle:Among those polled, the highest voting rates are in the secular and Haredi communities (both at 70%), with the lowest voting rates affecting the Arabic community (37%). Religious nationalists and conservative Jews received 53% and 64% voting rates respectively.LikudNetanyahu's party has been preparing a last minute effort to raise voting rates among citizens. Only a select few within the party are privy to the details of the month-long project, which will be released on the final days before the election. The plan has been to target areas in which voting rates were lower than expected and focus our efforts there.Blue and WhiteThe largest opposition party has been reportedly using an in-party app, that will locate citizens who have yet to vote, and call them up in an attempt to motivate them. The app's existence has so far been kept secret, and little else is known about it. Moreover, the party plans on focusing their efforts mainly on the day of the elections, with volunteers outside voting booths across the country.YaminaIn the right-wing Yamina party, the expectation of low voting rates has forced the party to focus their efforts on motivating activists to develop a strong grassroots movement. The campaign is scheduled to reach it's next level of grassroots organization after the beginning of the school year (September 1st).
Yisrael BeytenuYisrael Beytenu refused to comment or reveal campaign plans at this moment.Democratic UnionWhen reached for comment, members of the Democratic Union were intentionally vague about plans, instead choosing to send a message to voters:"We have no other democracy. That's why this time, we must triumph. Triumph over religious influence in schools, over plans for annexation and apartheid, over the threats against the supreme court and the destruction of Israeli democracy. Those are exactly the reasons democrats will go out and vote in their next elections. The citizens of Israel understand that we must leave the path of destruction that Netanyahu has been leading us on for a decade. Those are the reasons that voting rates will rise and that is our current focus."Joint ListAs part of the efforts the Joint List has been making to draw in potential voters, a Hebrew language campaign under the title "A Joint Struggle. A Joint Future. The Joint List.". The Joint List are currently hoping for between one and two seats in the Knesset from Jewish voters.The campaign was released last week in southern Tel Aviv, and members of all four parties that make up the list participated. The Joint List is calling for a partnership with the Jewish public, and are attempting to emphasize the joint struggle against the right wing, and position themselves as part of the democratic alternative.Party leader Ayman Odeh summarized "A right wing government can exist without us, but no substitute for the right wing can exist without our power."Labor-GesherThe Labor-Gesher party has been trying to focus on specific target voting groups in order to prepare for potential low voting rates. Party officials noted that "All Labor and Gesher voters receive a personal invitation to support and vote for the party, but also to recruit as many porential voters as they can." The party is also planning a significant increase in activity on election day, focusing on phone activity.ShasThe Shas party are hoping that the timing of the election will help them drum up voting rates. The elections are held during the Jewish month of Elul, a time of massive atonement rallies, and of feeling of being held accountable, that is expected to bring in voters, together with a large targeted telemarketing operation aimed at potential voters.A Shas official noted that "the election cycle reaches its peak at a very important time for Jewish tradition. In order for us to continue the will and life's work of Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef, god rest his soul, we plan on establishing a special headquarters on election day, to make sure no vote goes to waste.ZehutIn a stark contrast with the polls from the previous elections that showed Zehut getting enough votes to decide the fate of the election, this time polls show the party not being able to rise above the electoral threshold. Zehut plans on using the passionate fervor of its volunteers in a focused election day campaign. We currently have around 2,500 registered volunteers, more than any other party in the elections. We plan on using that grassroots influence to convince voters that the party can cross the electoral threshold this time, following the disappointment of the last election.Otzma YehuditRight wing extremist party Otzma Yehudit has been focusing on telling voters that they're vital to the establishment of a right wing government, but ever since the split from the Bayit Yehudi they have come nowhere near crossing the electoral threshold.
