Americans, go out and vote - editorial

It all seems like a lifetime ago now – as everything does since October 7, 2023 – but in a relatively short span of time, elections in Israel took place in quick succession.

One issue that repeatedly came up around elections was Israel’s lack of absentee voting. If an Israeli wants to vote in Israel’s elections, they need to be here for it – with only diplomats and embassy staffers being exceptions. For many Israeli expats, this is a source of great frustration, having to arrange costly flights back to the Jewish state and take time away from their jobs and lives just to put a piece of paper in a box in a school or gym converted into a temporary voting station.

Not everyone has this issue. Quite a few countries have embraced absentee voting for their citizens who live abroad. Italy, Germany, Indonesia, Mexico, and Hungary have all embraced forms of voting that give their expats a chance to participate in elections in some manner.

Estonia even went as far as allowing citizens living abroad to vote online; no mail-in ballot is needed.

Leading the free world

The United States also allows its citizens to vote from overseas, allowing anyone with US citizenship anywhere in the world to take part in the great democratic process to elect the next president, commonly considered to be the leader of the free world.

The election of the US president is arguably the most important democratic event in the world, and it happens every four years like clockwork. What takes place on that fateful November day has the potential to impact billions of people around the world.

Every vote counts.

Israelis know all about the importance of voting. Throughout Israeli history, there has never been an election with less than 60% voter turnout. But the same thing can’t be said for Americans.

American history is rife with elections with low turnouts, with just around 6% of eligible voters casting a ballot at its lowest point, back in 1792. Around 20% of all US elections had voter turnouts of under 50% of all eligible voters, with numbers peaking in the mid-1800s but sharply declining throughout the 20th century.

In other words, in the elections to decide the leader of the free world, the face of democracy, military force, and all else that the US projects and represents domestically and on the world stage, only a slight majority of eligible voters actually vote.

That sobering thought comes as we are just weeks away from the 2024 presidential elections, an event that has the entire world watching. No matter the outcome, a new face will be in the Oval Office to replace Joe Biden.

The fact that voter turnout in the US is as low as it is comes as a surprise. American history is rife with numerous struggles and wars over the right to vote. That so many people would fight and die for that right shows just how important voting is. Voters can change the balance of states and, as a result, the entire election.

Florida went from a swing state to solidly Republican. Wisconsin, long thought to be a Democratic stronghold, was won by Trump in 2016. Voters in Pennsylvania helped turn the tide in 2020, helping push Biden to victory. Just because a state seems to be guaranteed red or blue doesn’t mean it can’t be changed. And that change may very well start with you because it’s true – every vote matters.

Israel is one of the many locations around the world whose future may be heavily linked to whoever is next to helm the White House – Donald Trump or Kamala Harris.

Without endorsing any candidate, we are encouraging all Americans – including the thousands in Israel – to vote in November. Go make sure you’re registered; try to get a chance to secure an absentee ballot if needed. But vote. Because the race is expected to be close, and it may very well come down to just a few people to make a difference. It’s too important to be apathetic.