From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
In Tel Aviv election, cafes win out over polling booths
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleIn Tel Aviv, considered the beating economic and cultural heart of the country, only 21 percent have voted. Still, the number is an improvement over the 14% turnout three hours ago.
The city’s main race is the mayoral contest between Ron Huldai, in office since 1998, and Meretz MK Nitzan Horowitz.
Reporter Debra Kamin writes that in “the bubble,” iconic coffee shops were packed in the morning but voters in the polling centers were thin on the ground.
“People are working right now,” a teacher said with a shrug. “In the evening, there will be more.”
English speakers in the city, though, were somewhat engaged.
Guy Seemann, the founder and director of the grassroots movement Kol Oleh — which seeks to educate immigrants to Tel Aviv about party platforms and get them involved at the municipal level — started off the morning with an email blast to several hundred Anglo olim in the city, listing the polling times and a link to the Kol Oleh site, where voters could find English-language information on each party’s platform, directions on how the voting process works, and an explanation of how to find your particular polling site.
“I’ve received more than 150 personal emails and messages this morning,” Seemann said earlier. “They started at about 7:30 in the morning.”
The Times of Israel Community.