Samaria Council Head Yossi Dagan Launches V26 Campaign to Boost Right-Wing Voter Turnout Ahead of Israeli Elections

Yossi Dagan, head of the Samaria Regional Council, together with partners Yaakov Weinberger and Yoni HaIsraeli, has launched a nationwide grassroots campaign called V26 to increase voter turnout among the national camp ahead of the upcoming Israeli elections. The campaign focuses on peripheral cities, neighborhoods, and right-wing strongholds with historically low turnout rates. V26 builds on the model of V22, a similar initiative led by Dagan and Knesset member Tzvi Sukkot during the 2022 elections, which mobilized thousands of volunteers who canvassed door-to-door and organized transportation to polling stations.

The original V22 campaign was credited by senior Likud officials for contributing significantly to the national camp's victory in 2022, which secured 65 Knesset seats. Likud ministers Miki Zohar and Eli Cohen publicly praised the volunteers’ efforts for reversing turnout trends in key areas. Ahead of the new elections, V26 has attracted support from prominent Likud figures including ministers Israel Katz and Miri Regev, as well as local leaders such as Lod Mayor Eliyahu Revivo and former Safed Mayor Shuki Ohana.

Dagan emphasized the importance of grassroots mobilization, stating, "In the previous elections, we proved that fieldwork can change the picture. Thousands of volunteers went door-to-door and brought people to the polls. Now we are launching V26, bigger, more organized, and stronger. The national majority in Israel must be expressed at the ballot box. We will reach cities and neighborhoods, go door-to-door, and bring people to vote. With God’s help, we will bring a great victory to the national camp." The campaign’s name, V26, is a nod to V22 and a counter to the left-wing V15 initiative from 2015.

The V26 campaign aims to replicate and expand on the success of V22 by deploying hundreds of volunteers nationwide to maximize turnout among right-wing voters, particularly in areas where participation has lagged. This effort reflects the national camp’s strategic focus on securing a decisive electoral mandate in the upcoming vote.