Right-Wing Parties Launch Joint Effort to Boost Voter Turnout

With six days remaining until the elections, the Likud and Religious Zionism parties have convened their joint staff in Jerusalem to launch a ground operation aimed at increasing voter turnout in right-wing strongholds. The operation will involve activists visiting the homes of potential voters in areas with historically low participation rates.

At a meeting in Jerusalem, coordinators and activists from across Israel gathered to plan the extensive campaign. The joint staff believes that voter turnout will be a decisive factor in the election outcome. Their strategy focuses on areas where support for right-wing parties is high but actual voter turnout is comparatively low, with some of these areas seeing as little as 40-45% participation.

Israel Gantz, head of the joint staff, stated that dozens of coordinators have been mobilized, each expected to lead a group of activists. "The question is whether the right will vote, because it is clear the left will vote in droves," Gantz remarked, emphasizing that turnout could determine the election winner. He added that the current political landscape sees voters largely entrenched, making mobilization within the right-wing camp the primary focus.

Activity leader Beraleh Krumby highlighted the significant increase in the right-wing bloc's mandate from 52 in previous elections to 64 in the last, attributing this to improved voter turnout. He noted that the current operation is designed to replicate that success by targeting specific polling stations and neighborhoods identified with low right-wing voter engagement.

Yonatan Ahiya, head of field operations, outlined the plan to deploy across approximately 40 cities. Volunteers will visit homes to encourage participation, and the staff is seeking additional activists to support the broad deployment. Ahiya also criticized media coverage, suggesting it contributes to feelings of despair among some right-wing voters and that the staff's efforts aim to counter this.

Dor Ben Nun, a staff activist, framed the election as a contest between opposing political ideologies, with key issues including settlement future, the Jewish character of the state, the justice system, and security policy. He explained that months of preparation went into mapping areas with low turnout relative to right-wing support, enabling a focused volunteer effort on election day.