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A voting box in the last Israeli election in 2015.
(photo credit: REUTERS)
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At the event for English-speaking immigrants in Jerusalem last week, mayor candidate Ofer Berkovich was told by a woman in the audience that she was debating whether or not to vote for a slipping in the envelope on Election Day next Tuesday. In response, Berkovitch said it was his civic duty to vote, and he wanted to have his ballot, she should vote for any candidate rather than opting out with a blank slip.
We agree. For the first time in Israel's history, October 30th – the day of municipal elections – when it's all eligible to vote. Even if they do not vote for a candidate they are fully supported, they should vote for the most likely to be the best mayor; a candidate who does not appear to be corrupt, has integrity and concerns about his or her constituents.
According to the Union of Local Authorities in Israel and the Interior Ministry, some 6.6 million Israeli citizens and foreign residents are eligible to vote in local elections. Voters should cast two ballots, one for mayor and the second for a party list. If no mayoral candidate receives 40% of the vote, a runoff between the two front runners will take place on November 13, and the winner will be crowned mayor.
The elections will be held in 54 local councils, 122 (out of 124) local councils and 75 (out of 77) municipalities. In the past, local elections in Israel were held in conjunction with national elections. But in 1975, the municipal electoral system underwent major reform, and local elections are now held every five years, from national elections. In 1978, the new system – in which the municipal voters cast a double ballot for both a candidate and a member of the community – was implemented for the first time.
According to a new survey by the Israel Democracy Institute, 83% of Jewish Israelis and 71% of Muslim and Christian Israelis plan to vote in the October 30 elections. The poll, conducted on October 16-17 of a representative sample of 600 respondents (with a 4.1% margin of error) corruption at all. That's not a good sign.
According to Amotz Asa-El, writing in The Jerusalem Report"Astra-El says, two campaigns are expected to be cakewalks for the incumbent mayors – Beersheba's Ruvik Danilovich and Haifa's Yona Yahav. In Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, the races are tighter and more interesting.
In Tel Aviv, veteran mayor Ron Huldai, 74, is facing his first real challenge after 20 years from his younger deputy, Asaf Zamir, 38 – and there is, for the first time, an immigrant party named Olim Beyachad (Immigrants Together) TLV .
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The race in Israel's capital is similarly exciting, with four strong contenders for mayor and 19 party lists. Moshe Lion (Our Jerusalem), Jerusalem Affairs Minister Ze'ev Elkin (Likud), Deputy Mayor Yossi Deich (Agudat Yisrael) and Berkovitch (Hitorerut), who is the youngest candidate in the race.
Municipal elections are most intensely personal institution. The issues at hand affect every facet of our daily lives, from education and parking to the environment and local services. Much more than the national elections, in smaller municipalities, which will determine the quality of their lives.
Whatever you decide, do not hesitate to check it out soon, and go to your local polling station next Tuesday to vote. As American author Louis L'Amour once wrote, "To make democracy work, we must be a nation of participants, not simply observers. One who does not vote has no right to complain. "
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