Ruthie Blum Knesset elections 2.0: An absent electorate?
https://www.jns.org/opinion/knesset-elections-2-0-an-absent-electorate/
People have been literally lining up to leave, some have left long ago, and others are zapped of the inspiration to vote for what they believe will wind up in another impasse.
For the second time in five months, Israelis are limping their way to polling stations to elect the next government—or at least to attempt to do so, after the failure of the first round.
As was the case in April—when the only thing on which the diverse public could agree was that it would be necessary to hold one’s nose before casting a ballot—the stench of the campaign this month has caused national nausea. So much so, in fact, that thousands of eligible voters lined up on Monday at Ben-Gurion International Airport to flee the country.
Some of these absconders claim that they would rather lounge on a beach abroad than face a dilemma of bad choices at home. Others say that their vote won’t matter anyway since the polls are predicting a similar coalition impasse to that which led the current “re-do.” It’s an odd attitude, considering that this mass of truants constitute about three Knesset seats.
Though it’s true that their number is balanced somewhat by the fact that ex-pat Israelis are making the trek in the other direction in order to have a say in their home country’s political landscape. The trouble is that there are fewer of these than there were in April. After all, taking off work and spending thousands of dollars to fly one’s family across continents is difficult enough as it is. Doing so twice in less than half a year can be prohibitive. Unfortunately, for such people, Israel does not enable absentee ballots, other than for soldiers and diplomats.
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