Turnout in Israel’s fourth national election in two years slumped on Tuesday afternoon, recording the lowest rates since 2009 as of 6 p.m. at 51.5 percent — a drop of 4.8% from the same time on election day a year ago, the Central Elections Committee said.
In response, and with only a few hours before the polls were set to close, politicians made last-ditch attempts to galvanize their supporters to go out and vote, in what has come to be known in Israel as “gevalt” tactics.
Special polling stations for those in quarantine and those carrying the coronavirus also saw few show up to cast their ballots. As of the afternoon, only some 1,200 of 6,700 carrying the virus had voted.
In the previous three elections since April 2019, turnout had actually been steadily rising. The April 2019 election saw a turnout of 68.41%. In September 2019 it rose to 69.8%, and in March 2020 to 71.5%. This year, due to the coronavirus pandemic limiting overseas travel, more Israelis are at home on election day. Last year some 100,000 Israelis, mostly young, were abroad when the vote was held.
Likud tweeted out a message claiming that Tel Aviv and its suburbs were seeing high turnout. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu headed to southern towns and cities, usually Likud strongholds, where he claimed turnout was worryingly low.
“And what’s happening in Likud strongholds? Ashkelon, Beersheba, Ashdod, Tiberias, Jerusalem, Kiryat Shmona — why is turnout low? Go vote [Likud] now or you’ll get [Yesh Atid leader Yair] Lapid, a rotation and another election. Two more seats for [Likud] and we win,” the party said.
“Friends, this is no joke,” lamented Michaeli. “Turnout numbers are low. We won’t be able to effect change this way. It’s in out hands. Go vote.”
“Netanyahu is trying to erase Yamina, don’t let it happen,” Yamina party leader Naftali Bennett tweeted.
Religious Zionism Party head Bezalel Smotrich sent out a message blaming over-eager Pessach cleaners for the poor turnout. “We’re seeing low turnout in our areas, apparently because of Passover cleaning. Cleaning is important, but go vote,” he chided.
New Hope leader Gideon Sa’ar, formerly of Likud, urged supporters of Netanyahu’s party who were on the fence to back his right-wing list, rather than the Netanyahu-allied, far-right Religious Zionism.
And Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman urged secular Israelis to head to the polls to weaken the Charedi parties, as the Charedi parties issued an urgent call to their followers to vote, citing Liberman’s incitement against them.
Turnout is expected to be a key factor in the final results.
The head of the Elections Committee, Orly Adas, said Monday that vote counting will likely take several days — longer than usual — due to coronavirus precautions and the upcoming Passover holiday. She warned that the delay could be “fertile ground” for growing efforts to delegitimize the results.
