At least two political parties are alleging that in many haredi polling stations, their party’s voter slip/ballots are missing so voters cannot vote for their party and that the key of party symbols is missing their party. Both are violations of election law and constitute voter fraud.
Above: Israeli voting slip/ballots
Alleged Voter Fraud In Haredi, Arab-Israeli Polling Stations
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com
Today is election day in Israel, and Arutz Sheva has a brief but helpful rundown of some of the alleged ongoing voter fraud.
Remember that in Israel, a voter votes for a party list, not for an individual candidate, and that voting takes place by choosing a voting slip/ballot with the assigned symbol of the chosen political party (please see the above photo), placing it in an envelope and then placing that envelope in a ballot box. So, for example, a voter who wants to vote for the Ashkenazi haredi United Torah Judaism list would go into the voting booth, look at the key of political party symbols, choose a voting slip/ballot with a large Hebrew letter “gimmel” on it, put it in his voting envelope, leave the voting booth and place his ballot in the ballot box.
At least two political parties are alleging that in many haredi polling stations, their party’s voter slip/ballots are missing so voters cannot vote for their party and that the key of party symbols is missing their party. Both are violations of election law and constitute voter fraud:
• Voter fraud is alleged to be taking place at various heavily haredi polling stations across the country.
• MK Eli Yishai, the head of the new right-wing and haredi Yachad-Ha'am Itanu Party, says that Yachad ballots at several polling stations are missing or have been destroyed – apparently by supporters of the older Sefardi haredi Shas Party, Yachad-Ha'am Itanu Party’s chief rival.
• The new haredi all-female B'Zehutan Party, hated by top haredi rabbis and their male political rivals alike, says their ballots were missing from polling stations in heavily haredi areas and that some of these polling stations’ key of the different party symbols omits the new all-female haredi party entirely – a clear violation of election law.
• The Shas Party is promising voters who vote for Shas "a pidyon ha-nefesh" (redemption of their soul; essentially a "get out of hell free card," in this case a "key to heaven") to be given by top Shas Party rabbis in exchange for the voter's vote for Shas. That Shas ad reportedly features the slogan, "those who choose Shas go straight to heaven" next to a photo of the party's late founder and spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, who is venerated by Sefardim as a saint. Below that is the voter's "key to heaven." (Please see the photo posted below for the actual "key to heaven" card given Shas voters.)
This ploy was ruled to be illegal – no surprise because similar Shas Party ads and promises have been ruled illegal in previous elections. But because the penalty for cheating is so small, Shas keeps breaking the law with near impunity. Shas reportedly expressed "sorrow" over the the CEC's ruling against the ad and said that "kissing mezuzahs and wearing amulets is an integral part of the tradition of most Israeli citizens…we are proud of our traditions and reject suppression and incitement." This despite the fact that amulets given in exchange for voting for a political party have repeatedly over many years been ruled to be illegal.
• The right wing Yisrael Beiteinu Party headed by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman filed a complaint with the Central Elections Committee (CEC) after a number of Yisrael Beiteinu representatives were allegedly physically attacked during voting in the Israeli-Arab town of Nazareth and in Arab-majority Baka Al Gharbia, Kafr Kara, and Sakhnin where Yisrael Beiteinu members were allegedly prevented from voting by local mobs.
• The head of all polling stations in the Israeli-Arab town of Umm Al-Fahm is accused of fraud after several ballots were found in a ballot box that did not match the voter turnout. Police have reportedly opened an investigation.
The illegal Shas Party "key to heaven" card. Please click to enlarge: