Bedouin Communities to Separate Voters by Gender to Boost Election Turnout

In an effort to increase voter turnout in the upcoming Knesset elections, Bedouin communities across the Negev are planning to separate male and female voters at polling stations. This initiative, reported by Kan News, aims to encourage tens of thousands of Bedouin women, many voting for the first time, to participate. Separate, unofficially announced, voting hours will be designated for men and women in Bedouin towns in the region to facilitate attendance and boost overall participation.

Voter turnout is considered a critical factor in the upcoming election results, with the ability to mobilize supporters being key. Recent data from Kan News indicates that the opposition has a higher projected voter turnout rate of 72% compared to the coalition's 67%. Among the opposition, excluding Arab voters, this figure rises to 80%. For comparison, 87% of Gadi Eisenkot's supporters intend to vote, versus 77% of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's supporters.

While the coalition has been closing the gap, with turnout projections improving since the election began, this trend is not reflected in the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) parties. In the latest Kan News poll, the general voter turnout was 69%, but the Haredi sector's turnout was only 67%, a notably low figure for this demographic.

Concerns are also raised about the Arab sector's turnout, with only 50% of respondents planning to vote, a decrease from over 53% in the last election. There are claims that the Likud party has been working to reduce the motivation of Arab voters to participate in elections through various means, which may be proving effective.

Separately, Yair Golan stated that a government should not be formed with the Likud, even without Netanyahu. The report also briefly mentions how to vote if one's identity card is not valid.