Israel General Election Thread: March 17 2015

[Comrade Funk]

Turnout is highest since 1999, I actually went back home without voting because of the massive cue at the ballot. From chats around my precinct there is a large swing toward Labour

Lets hope you're right. Bibi does not speak for me!

[136or142]

Word is, prepare for heavy turnout. The official election website has crashed (see, Bibi can't even make a silly website!)

Neither could Obama!

So, the polls close at noon Pacific Daylight time?

13:00

Thanks!

More proof that I couldn't get a math degree.

[danny]

Neither could Obama!

So, the polls close at noon Pacific Daylight time?

13:00

Thanks!

More proof that I couldn't get a math degree.

I didn't do any calculations myself, I used a website.

[MaxQue]

Word is, prepare for heavy turnout. The official election website has crashed (see, Bibi can't even make a silly website!)

Neither could Obama!

So, the polls close at noon Pacific Daylight time?

13:00

Thanks!

More proof that I couldn't get a math degree.

Well, you would be right 11 months a year. It's just than we are on Summer Time, while Israel (and Europe) do the switch on the last weekend of March.

[136or142]

Oh thanks! Maybe I can go back and get a stats degree.

[ag]

Turnout running slightly below last time. 36.7% vs 38.3% in 2013 by 2pm

[Tender Branson]

Turnout running slightly below last time. 36.7% vs 38.3% in 2013 by 2pm

I predicted 65% overall. So far, so good.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Turnout in Arab villages reported to be higher than usual.

[Eraserhead]

I'm grabbing the popcorn for this one.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Via Haaretz...

Shas have been banned from distributing the following leaflet:



The leaflet suggests that if you vote Shas you'll go to heaven. A message brought to you by Rabbi Ovadia Yosef (pictured) who is dead.

lmaoshas

[MalaspinaGold]

Turnout is highest since 1999, I actually went back home without voting because of the massive cue at the ballot. From chats around my precinct there is a large swing toward Labour

From where? Meretz or Yesh Atid or Likud?

[Indy Texas]

And now Likud is basically implying the liberal parties are bussing in Arabs and buying votes.

This is disgusting. Even conservative Israelis should be appalled by how Bibi has Americanized their electoral process.

[DL]

So the word is that at this stage overall turnout is down a bit compared to 2012 but apparently turnout is up in Arab-Israeli areas - I wonder if that means that a. the Joint list may do even better than the polls suggest and get 14 seats and b. if turnout is down a bit in the rest of the country it suggests to me that Netan-yahoo's attempt to rally his base isn't doing much and that a lot of former Likud voters may be unmotivated and won't bother to vote.

[Zanas]

And now Likud is basically implying the liberal parties are bussing in Arabs and buying votes.

This is disgusting. Even conservative Israelis should be appalled by how Bibi has Americanized their electoral process.

Speaking of which : my brother and I were wondering yesterday evening whether Israeli elections taking place on Tuesday is due to American electoral influence, or other type of influence. Broadly speaking, normal countries vote on Sundays, the sane option, and anglo-saxon influenced countries vote during the week, mainly on Tuesdays or Thursdays, the insane option.

[ag]

And now Likud is basically implying the liberal parties are bussing in Arabs and buying votes.

This is disgusting. Even conservative Israelis should be appalled by how Bibi has Americanized their electoral process.

Speaking of which : my brother and I were wondering yesterday evening whether Israeli elections taking place on Tuesday is due to American electoral influence, or other type of influence. Broadly speaking, normal countries vote on Sundays, the sane option, and anglo-saxon influenced countries vote during the week, mainly on Tuesdays or Thursdays, the insane option.

Sunday is a work day in Israel, so no better than any other day. And Saturday would be impossible due to the Jewish Sabbath restrictions. And if Saturday is impossible, so is Friday and, in fact Sunday - otherwise you'd be discriminating against the Muslims and Christians. Hence, not much choice, really.

[ag]

45.4% by 4PM, against 46.6% in 2013.

[Zanas]

And now Likud is basically implying the liberal parties are bussing in Arabs and buying votes.

This is disgusting. Even conservative Israelis should be appalled by how Bibi has Americanized their electoral process.

Speaking of which : my brother and I were wondering yesterday evening whether Israeli elections taking place on Tuesday is due to American electoral influence, or other type of influence. Broadly speaking, normal countries vote on Sundays, the sane option, and anglo-saxon influenced countries vote during the week, mainly on Tuesdays or Thursdays, the insane option.

Sunday is a work day in Israel, so no better than any other day. And Saturday would be impossible due to the Jewish Sabbath restrictions. And if Saturday is impossible, so is Friday and, in fact Sunday - otherwise you'd be discriminating against the Muslims and Christians. Hence, not much choice, really.

Well, yeah, actually, still a choice between Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday ! So why Tuesday ?

[ag]

And now Likud is basically implying the liberal parties are bussing in Arabs and buying votes.

This is disgusting. Even conservative Israelis should be appalled by how Bibi has Americanized their electoral process.

Speaking of which : my brother and I were wondering yesterday evening whether Israeli elections taking place on Tuesday is due to American electoral influence, or other type of influence. Broadly speaking, normal countries vote on Sundays, the sane option, and anglo-saxon influenced countries vote during the week, mainly on Tuesdays or Thursdays, the insane option.

Sunday is a work day in Israel, so no better than any other day. And Saturday would be impossible due to the Jewish Sabbath restrictions. And if Saturday is impossible, so is Friday and, in fact Sunday - otherwise you'd be discriminating against the Muslims and Christians. Hence, not much choice, really.

Well, yeah, actually, still a choice between Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday ! So why Tuesday ?

Well, not really Thursday: getting too close to the Muslim Sabbath as well. Why not Tuesday then?

[danny]

Tuesday is the most convenient because it give the longest time to prepare for the vote and count it without hitting the weekend. But it doesn't have to be, the 96 elections were on Wednesday and the 84 elections on Monday.

[Comrade Funk]

Netanyahu has jumped the shark with his busing conspiracy

[Tender Branson]

I actually went back home without voting because of the massive cue at the ballot.

How is that even possible ?

There are 5.9 million eligible voters in Israel today and there are more than 10.000 polling stations. That's an average of 590 voters per precinct. Turnout is 70%, so 413 voters per precinct. You have more than 12 hours to vote, which means 40 people per hour.

There shouldn't be any line really and certainly not long enough that you need to go home without voting ...

[Zanas]

I actually went back home without voting because of the massive cue at the ballot.

How is that even possible ?

There are 5.9 million eligible voters in Israel today and there are more than 10.000 polling stations. That's an average of 590 voters per precinct. Turnout is 70%, so 413 voters per precinct. You have more than 12 hours to vote, which means 40 people per hour.

There shouldn't be any line really and certainly not long enough that you need to go home without voting ...

Some precincts are bound to be above the mean, probably around 800 or even 1,000 in urban cores, and people do not distribute themselves well to vote at different hours, they tend to all go at a few selected windows. So I'm not shocked. Still, I get why you get frustrated coming from a country where polls open only Sunday morning till 1 PM and you get 80 % turnout on a bad day...

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Yes: in Britain (for instance) there is always a rush after five o clock.

[Tender Branson]

I actually went back home without voting because of the massive cue at the ballot.

How is that even possible ?

There are 5.9 million eligible voters in Israel today and there are more than 10.000 polling stations. That's an average of 590 voters per precinct. Turnout is 70%, so 413 voters per precinct. You have more than 12 hours to vote, which means 40 people per hour.

There shouldn't be any line really and certainly not long enough that you need to go home without voting ...

Some precincts are bound to be above the mean, probably around 800 or even 1,000 in urban cores, and people do not distribute themselves well to vote at different hours, they tend to all go at a few selected windows. So I'm not shocked. Still, I get why you get frustrated coming from a country where polls open only Sunday morning till 1 PM and you get 80 % turnout on a bad day...

Yeah, people might vote in heavier numbers before going to work and after work or during lunch break. Therefore the lines.

Which means Sunday (or holiday) voting is pretty cool, since people are voting more evenly during the day and there is only 1 peak voting time: after lunch.

I guess Sunday (or holiday) voting is also good for getting enough poll workers, unless you use exclusively retirees - which have time any day.

(PS: polling stations in Austria do not close at 1pm, only in the state of Vorarlberg - which is Swiss-oriented)

[ag]

I actually went back home without voting because of the massive cue at the ballot.

How is that even possible ?

There are 5.9 million eligible voters in Israel today and there are more than 10.000 polling stations. That's an average of 590 voters per precinct. Turnout is 70%, so 413 voters per precinct. You have more than 12 hours to vote, which means 40 people per hour.

There shouldn't be any line really and certainly not long enough that you need to go home without voting ...

Some precincts are bound to be above the mean, probably around 800 or even 1,000 in urban cores, and people do not distribute themselves well to vote at different hours, they tend to all go at a few selected windows. So I'm not shocked. Still, I get why you get frustrated coming from a country where polls open only Sunday morning till 1 PM and you get 80 % turnout on a bad day...

Yeah, people might vote in heavier numbers before going to work and after work or during lunch break. Therefore the lines.

Which means Sunday (or holiday) voting is pretty cool, since people are voting more evenly during the day and there is only 1 peak voting time: after lunch.

I guess Sunday (or holiday) voting is also good for getting enough poll workers, unless you use exclusively retirees - which have time any day.

(PS: polling stations in Austria do not close at 1pm, only in the state of Vorarlberg - which is Swiss-oriented)

Election day is a holiday in Israel, I believe.