Posted on 10/18/2004 5:24:55 PM PDT by Perdogg
Election day came early for some American citizens living in Israel.
Several dozen Americans gathered in a Tel Aviv apartment on Sunday to fill out their absentee ballots in a presidential election that is as hotly contested among partisans in Israel, as is the main battlefield in the United States.
Laura Goldman decorated her living room with blue balloons for the Democrat-sponsored event. She put a mock ballot box prominently in the middle, where voters could place their completed ballots for delivery to the US Embassy.
"I want to make it as easy as possible for people to vote," said Goldman, 46, an investment adviser from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. "It's my civic duty."
The Middle East is a main issue in the contest between US President George W. Bush and challenger John Kerry, with the war in Iraq dominating foreign policy discussions.
Israel is playing less of a role as a campaign issue, but since the United States is Israel's main ally - sometimes its only one - a close US presidential election has a clear ripple effect across the ocean.
More than double the number of expatriate Americans have registered to vote with absentee ballots, compared to the 2000 election - 30,000 compared to 14,000, according to Mark Zober, 59, head of Democrats Abroad in Israel.
With an estimated 100,000-150,000 US citizens living in Israel, the percentage of registered expatriate voters is one of the highest in the world.
Activists say the jump in absentee voting is a worldwide phenomenon, and statehouses across the United States have been inundated with applications - so many that some voters won't get their ballots in time.
Advertising voting events across the country in English-language Israeli newspapers, organizers told potential voters that they could still vote.
They're offering the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (FWAB), which is used in the event that a voter's state ballot doesn't arrive in time.
"The demand for the FWAB is extremely high, since not everyone has received their state ballot in the mail," said Kory Bardash, head of Republicans Abroad Israel.
The Republicans are hosting their own voting events in many places around the country, and organizers say both parties will pick up the pace as the election approaches.
The sharp differences dividing the US electorate, reflected among voters in Israel, has heightened interest here, said Hadass Tesher, 34, originally from Chicago, Illinois, a volunteer for the Democrats.
"I think people have learned the lesson of how important every vote is, that every vote counts," she said. "This year we are seeing unprecedented activity from around the world, with many first-time voters and voters who have not voted for many years feeling compelled to vote in this year's election."
Not all the local voters said they were casting ballots based on Mideast policy. For Rachel Spitz, 28, originally from Ohio, how the United States looks is more important.
"Living overseas, we see how non-Americans view Americans, and how that view has changed for the worse," she said. "And if more Americans could see the international perspective up close, then perhaps they would change their perspective on how to vote."
Reminders for Jewish voters:
- Saddam
- $25,000 per event
- Pali suicide bombers
Who put a stop to it?
Reminder for ex-pat absentee voters:
Trust no one to turn in your ballot.
Hand-carry it to the embassy or mail it yourself.
How much foreign aid does the U. S. give Isreal?
Probably more than they gave your school to teach Spelling :)
"Israel"
Most Israelis are not pleased with US Government aid, so it's best not to use as a campaign issue.
No possibility for shenanigans here. Just fill out your vote in my living room. Put it in this box. Don't worry, I'll make sure it gets to the embassy.
Bush puts his neck on the line for Israel and that's the thanks he gets. This makes me furious.
They will vote for Bush this time, big time, trust me!
I saw a segment two weeks ago on people in Israel requesting absentee ballots. For what I saw, a very large portion of the vote is going to GW.
If Kerry wins they might want to get out of there.
You might want to check the polls. Israelis favor Bush. Let's hope that they are registered in Florida and Ohio, and not New York or California.
You don't have to maintain the residence. It is automatically assigned to the last state of residence.
Fascinating, thanks.
They will vote communist for Kerry.
The Jerusalem Po st did a poll of Israelis and 56% is pro Bush.
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