Ballot battlefield takes shape as sides tussle over voters homebound and homeward bound
Stav Levaton is a military reporter for The Times of IsraelCypriots driving past Larnaca Airport last month were greeted by an unusual sight: a political campaign billboard, despite the country’s parliamentary elections having concluded in May. Even more striking, the signs featured neither a Cypriot politician nor any message in one of Cyprus’s official languages. Instead, the face looking down on the cars speeding past was that of Gadi Eisenkot, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s main rival in the upcoming elections, alongside a Hebrew message specifically addressed to Israeli vacationers.The unprecedented play for Israeli votes outside of Israel was more than a novel election tactic, experts say. It also offered an early glimpse into what could become one of the most unconventional and consequential election campaigns in Israel’s history, with the electoral process itself increasingly emerging as a political battleground.Eisenkot’s overseas campaign is only one front in a broader struggle taking…
Israel's upcoming October 27 election is marked by unprecedented battles over voter access, reflecting deep political polarization. An early example was Gadi Eisenkot's campaign billboard in Cyprus, targeting Israeli vacationers, a novel tactic given that Israelis abroad must return home to vote.
- Disputes are emerging over polling stations in elderly care homes and transportation for voters within Israel.
- There are also concerns regarding voter intimidation and the integrity of the electoral process, with some questioning the fairness of the Central Elections Committee.
- A significant number of Israelis who emigrated after October 7 are expected to return to vote, with NGOs like the America Israel Democracy (AID) Coalition's FLY&VOTE program assisting up to 50,000 expatriates.
- These voters are disproportionately young, educated, and secular, often associated with centrist or opposition parties, leading to allegations from the Likud party that such initiatives are illegal attempts to interfere with the election.
As Yael Shomer, a Tel Aviv University professor, noted, "This time, for many Israelis, the election is also about the future character of the political system itself."
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