Two weeks and two days ahead of Election Day, it appears Israel's citizens can be split into two groups: those who know who they are voting for on April 9 and those who remain undecided. Of course, at this stage of the election campaign, politicians are only interested in the latter, and they are investing a great deal of energy, thought and money on undecided voters. At this time, as is the case in most elections, undecided voters are the ones who will determine the outcome.
But Israel's undecided voters can also be split into two groups: those who are still deciding who to vote for and those who are deciding whether to vote at all.
An Israel Hayom-i24NEWS poll conducted by the Maagar Mochot polling institute found that 57% of the public is certain to vote and another 26% said they were very likely to vote on Election Day. This certainly appears to be a fairly impressive statistic, given the voting is not compulsory in Israel. But 17% of those polled said there was only a low-to-fair chance of them voting. While it could be argued that this is also a low number, it is still very significant.
In Israel's complex reality, regardless of one's positions on the burning issues of the day, one simply cannot afford to have doubts about voting. One must take a stand; voting is the means to do that. This is true regardless of one's take on the Iran nuclear deal, a two-state solution, the economy or whether one is happy or bitter about the current situation. So, stop contemplating whether to vote and start thinking about who deserves your vote.
In quite a few countries around the world – among them, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Singapore, Switzerland and Uruguay – voting is compulsory. In some of these countries, failure to fulfill your obligation to vote is punishable by fines and the loss of benefits. In Israel, too, we should see voting as a civic duty more than a right. Stop deliberating.
