Israeli Election Oddities: From Weather to Voter Fraud and Viral Moments
Translated & summarized from Calcalist by baba
Israeli elections have a history of unique occurrences, from voting day customs to weather impacts and alleged fraud. Tuesday voting is the norm, unlike Sunday or Saturday in other countries. Past elections saw record turnouts despite severe weather, while concerns about voter fraud have led to measures like camera deployment. Memorable moments include misquoted election night predictions and viral political videos, alongside unexpected party successes and pandemic-era adaptations for voting.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Israel traditionally holds elections on Tuesdays, unlike many countries that vote on Sundays or Saturdays.
- Severe weather has not historically deterred Israeli voters, with record turnouts recorded during rainstorms.
- Allegations of voter fraud have led to increased scrutiny and measures like camera deployment at polling stations.
- Famous election night predictions and political videos have become ingrained in Israeli electoral lore.
- The "Gil" pensioners' party's unexpected success in 2006 led to a trend and subsequent polling regulations.
- Special voting arrangements were made for COVID-19 patients and isolated individuals during the March 2021 election.
Israeli election days have seen a variety of traditions and unusual occurrences throughout the country's history. While many countries vote on Sundays for religious or practical reasons, Israel, like the US, traditionally holds elections on Tuesdays. Other nations have different customs, with Canada voting on Mondays and the UK on Thursdays, while Australia and New Zealand opt for Saturdays. Israel's choice of Tuesday dates back to a 1958 law intended to separate elections and vote counting from the Sabbath.
Weather has often played a role, with heavy rain in the 1949 and 2009 elections failing to deter voters, even setting a record turnout of 86.9% in 1949. Conversely, concerns exist that rain might suppress turnout, particularly among undecided voters. The 2009 election, despite severe weather, saw a slight increase in turnout from 2006.
Allegations and instances of voter fraud have surfaced, notably in the 1999 election where Ehud Barak's party deployed extensive measures to prevent fraud in Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) polling stations. While police reported 69 cases, observer reports suggested hundreds. In the April 2019 election, the Likud party deployed observers with cameras, some hidden, to monitor polling stations, ostensibly to prevent fraud in Arab communities, though organizers later boasted of a reduction in Arab voter turnout. The Israeli Democracy Institute attributed this drop to disillusionment with the dissolution of the Joint List, not the cameras.
Memorable moments include the 1977 election night when statistician Hanoch Smith's televised projection of a political "upheaval" was widely misquoted as the famous phrase "Ladies and Gentlemen, an upheaval." Similarly, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's 2015 video warning about "Arabs flocking to the polls" was a more dramatic phrasing of his actual statement about "Arab voters moving in large numbers to the ballot boxes." This followed a significant jump in Arab voter turnout in 2015 compared to 2013.
Other notable events include a 1984 incident where a note from Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky endorsing the new Shas party reportedly swayed two Knesset seats from Agudat Yisrael. The "Gil" pensioners' party became a surprise success in 2006, winning seven seats due to a voting trend, leading to a law prohibiting poll publication after Friday. During the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2021, special "drive-through" polling stations and facilities for the sick and isolated were established, significantly increasing the election committee's budget. In 1999, statistician Meina Tzemach, then responsible for Channel 2's election projections, famously relayed a message to President Bill Clinton that he could "be satisfied" and "not worry," as she was on a deadline and already knew Ehud Barak was winning.
Mentioned
