Ben-Gvir Pleads with Voters in Low-Turnout Bat Yam
Translated & summarized from Ice by baba
Voter turnout in several Israeli cities lagged significantly behind the national average on election day, prompting Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir to personally appeal to residents in Bat Yam to vote. While the national turnout reached 55.7% by 4 PM, Bat Yam reported only 24%. Other cities like Beit Shemesh and Umm al-Fahm also showed low initial participation, though some saw significant increases later in the day. Low turnout in Bat Yam has been a recurring issue, with past elections showing similar trends.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir personally urged voters in Bat Yam to cast ballots due to low turnout.
- Bat Yam recorded only 24% voter turnout by early afternoon, a significant drop from the national average.
- Several other cities, including Beit Shemesh and Umm al-Fahm, also experienced low initial voter participation.
- Turnout figures in some cities, like Beit Shemesh and Umm al-Fahm, saw significant increases later in the day.
- Low voter turnout in Bat Yam is a recurring issue, observed in previous elections as well.
While national voter turnout for the 26th Knesset elections was breaking records, several cities experienced significantly lower participation rates by the afternoon. By 4:00 PM, 55.7% of eligible voters had cast ballots nationwide, a notable increase from 47.5% at the same time in the previous election. However, stark disparities between localities have drawn political attention, particularly in Bat Yam, a traditional Likud stronghold, where only about 24% had voted by early afternoon. In response, Itamar Ben-Gvir, chairman of Otzma Yehudit and a minister, visited Bat Yam's beach on Tuesday, urging beachgoers to head to the polls. Earlier, his party's sources criticized Tzvika Brot, the mayor and Likud's campaign manager, accusing him of neglecting voter mobilization efforts in Bat Yam in favor of the national campaign. "The Likud campaign manager Tzvika Brot has abandoned Bat Yam and the right-wing votes are in danger," the sources claimed.
Other cities also showed varied turnout figures. By early afternoon, Beit Shemesh reported 26.4% participation, Modi'in Illit 33.2%, and Elad 32%. In the Arab community, Umm al-Fahm had a low 18%, contrasting with Rahat's 36.9%. Herzliya recorded a relatively low 29.3%, while nearby Ramat HaSharon reached 35%. These figures highlight differences even within similar demographic or politically aligned areas.
Later in the afternoon, updated data indicated a significant increase in turnout in some of these cities. By 4:00 PM to 4:45 PM, Beit Shemesh reached 47.1% and Umm al-Fahm 41.7%. This demonstrates that turnout figures can change substantially throughout the day, making early afternoon numbers unreliable indicators of final results.
Low turnout in Bat Yam is not a new phenomenon. In the 2022 elections, only 50.76% of eligible voters participated there, compared to the national average of 70.63%. In that election, Likud was the largest party in Bat Yam with 35.72% of the votes, while the joint Religious Zionism and Otzma Yehudit list received 10.81%. Efforts to boost participation continued as the polls neared their 10:00 PM closing time, with the final impact on results to be determined after vote counting.
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