Democrats Hold Transparent Primaries but Call for Broader Voter Influence in Israel

Approximately 114,000 registered members of the Democratic Party in Israel participated in a transparent and participatory primary election to select their candidate list. Unlike most Israeli parties where leadership or committees decide the list behind closed doors, the Democrats conducted an open internal campaign with 51 candidates engaging voters through meetings and presentations. Voting was online, secret, and allowed members to promote six to eight candidates competing for about 10 to 12 realistic seats, with gender balance and representation commitments for Meretz, minorities, and rural areas.

This process contrasts with other parties such as Likud, where primaries were contested and limited by reserved seats, and Religious Zionism, which restricts voting rights to a small central forum rather than the full membership. The Democrats’ approach is thus more democratic by Israeli standards, giving real power to members rather than a few decision-makers.

However, the article highlights significant limitations. Even if all 114,000 members voted, they represent only about a quarter of the roughly 400,000 voters the party expects to attract in the general election. Moreover, party membership is open online for a fee and requires only a declaration of non-membership in other parties, allowing voters who may not support the Democrats in the general election to influence the primary results. This disconnect means the final candidate list may not fully reflect the preferences of the broader electorate.

The article argues that this system incentivizes candidates to cater to organized groups within the membership rather than the wider public, potentially skewing priorities. It proposes a next step toward more inclusive democracy: allowing all party voters on election day to influence the candidate list through a "semi-open ballot," where voters select their preferred candidates alongside their party vote. This model, common in nearly 80% of OECD countries with similar electoral systems, would better align candidate selection with voter preferences.

In conclusion, while praising the Democrats’ primary as a democratic milestone in Israel, the article calls for expanding voter influence to all party supporters, not just registered members, to ensure truly representative candidate selection ahead of the 2026 elections. The piece is authored by Danny Rubin, head of the electoral reform initiative at Israel 2050.