Why the Jewish vote in this year's US elections matters more than ever

This year, more than ever, your Jewish vote for president of the United States really, really matters.

With the alarming rise of antisemitic incidents throughout the United States, your vote can help influence the questions of whether future American leaders will withdraw financial, military, and other means of support to Israel; continue to make unreasonable demands to increase humanitarian aid to Gaza; restrain Israel’s actions against Hamas and Hezbollah; vacate Jewish neighborhoods in Judea and Samaria; and ultimately reward the terrorists who massacred Jews and promoted global antisemitism and a Palestinian state.

Questions and answers, based on interviews with Israeli voters from all over Israel, were answered by legislators from Michigan, one of the key swing states in the US. The consensus is that for Israel and the global Jewish community, this year’s vote is crucial. Every vote counts.

“According to the US Embassy, there are approximately 600,000 American citizens residing permanently or temporarily in Israel, and of these, we estimate about 500,000 may be eligible to vote,” said attorney Marc Zell, chairman of Republicans Overseas Israel.

Gideon, a resident of Ma’aleh Hever in the Hebron Hills region, has made every effort to vote in presidential elections, although he admits the system for voting from abroad makes it challenging. In Israel since 1978, he was active in AACI and Vote from Israel, NGOs that encourage Americans to vote. Although he is a New York voter, a heavily blue state, he is hoping that his vote for Donald Trump will count.

“I think it is important to vote,” stated Gideon. “I understand there are more “purple states than usual, and voting in them is especially important.”

One swing-state voter who plans to vote Republican said the last time she mailed her ballot she felt a thrill. “The thought that I could maybe make a difference all the way from here – not just for America, but for Israel, was a tremendous charge!”

Miriam Lane, an American-Israeli attorney who votes in Rockland County, New York, has lived in Ramat Bet Shemesh for almost 20 years.

“I’m very politically oriented,” she said. “My family were Democrats and so was I, until one day I realized that I’m a moderate liberal in terms of social programs. I believe in helping people and I’m against discrimination, but I don’t believe in the kind of extreme politics that is now more and more dominant. I believe in strong foreign policies.

“I hate labels but I identify with traditional family values, and I think intersectionality is off the mark. I am obviously very pro-Israel. We are a necessary ally for the United States and they need us as a bulwark against Iran, communist China, and others.”

Lane said she is likely to vote for Trump. “I am unashamed to say that I liked Trump’s policies. I think he was good for America and good for Israel. However, I am a little concerned that if president Trump were to get elected, there would be tremendous unrest.

“While there is already unrest in the United States, there has never been this level of antisemitism. One of the reasons I went to law school was because I believed in justice. Speech is protected by the First Amendment, but intimidation is not. How much of a future will there be if this continues?”

Lane pointed out that 40% of college funding comes from the federal government.

“The government should withhold funding from schools that don’t protect students from harassment and intimidation,” she suggested. “I have never been this concerned. I live in Israel but I love America. I’m hoping there might be a lot of couch people – nonvoters in New York, and even some who will vote Republican because they are afraid of what is going on.”

My vote doesn’t count

Deborah moved from Chicago to the Samaria 30 years ago, and thought about voting in the upcoming election, but isn’t sure it’s worth the bother. “I vote in a state that has traditionally leaned in only one direction. My vote doesn’t count. Why should I bother voting?”

Michigan state Senator Lana Theis weighed in on the topic. “All citizens who are legally eligible to vote should do so. There is no way your voice can be heard if you don’t vote, and this election promises to be like no other.

“There are groups who have found agreement on issues that haven’t previously been aligned, so relying on historical voting trends is going to be very difficult.

“Next, there are many more issues on a ballot than the individual at the top of the ticket. Even beyond state legislatures, there are college governing boards, township and school board candidates that all embody the ‘all politics is local’ philosophy and are so very important for day-to-day life.

“Also, additional school, local government, or first responder taxes may be on those ballots as well, impacting on the one hand the level of service provided by local governments, but on the other hand affecting people’s ability to afford their homes in times of financial distress.

“Lastly, the margin that an individual politician wins by is considered important as well. If the politician has a ‘mandate’ due to a wide win-margin, they can get more of their agenda completed. You will remember claims of certain presidents winning the electoral college but not winning the popular vote – that narrative drove much of the public policy during their presidencies.”

Is this the best we can do?

Alan, a recent oleh from Florida, said, “I hate both candidates. If that is the best we can do in America, why should I vote?”

Theis answered, “In some cases, you are voting for the one that would not do significant harm to the things you prioritize. Rather than ‘getting nothing good done,’ they can create even worse scenarios because there is no stopping their agenda if the House, Senate and executive are all under singular party control. Think about the impact of excessive government spending causing inflation. Government constantly printing money and using taxpayer dollars for things like tuition ‘forgiveness’ payments already determined by SCOTUS [the Supreme Court of the United States] to be an unconstitutional use of funds are just a few examples that could be changed with different leadership.

“In the case of Israel, the current US administration appears to be working to undermine what it perceives to be a conservative government (even though it is a consensus government, that is not how the Biden administration sees it) as Israel is trying to defend itself in war. The Biden administration is taking action that actively harms Israel in order to affect election outcomes and to pander for their electoral benefit in a swing state like Michigan.”

Can my information be compromised?

Several Israeli Americans cited security concerns. Ra’anana dual citizen Sherry said, “I am afraid with the current ballot system, my identity might get stolen. How can I believe that my information is secure when I submit absentee ballots with my social security information?”

“Clerks must follow security protocols upon receiving your ballot,” explains state Rep. Ann Bollin, a former township clerk from Michigan. “Only election officials can handle ballots, and the signature is checked against the signature on file. All ballots are secured with limited access by election officials. Upon receipt, all ballots are time and date stamped in the qualified voter file. 

Absentee ballots are secret, and there is no identity information on the absent voter ballot (birth date, driver’s license number, or even the last four numbers of the Social Security number).

A frequent question attorney Marc Zell is asked is whether registering to vote in the United States can trigger the state to demand income taxes. His answer: “Legally you are not required to pay taxes just because you vote.”

Also, if you happen to be visiting, there are several options available to an absent voter to return their ballot, including personally delivering it to the clerk’s office or obtaining their absent voter ballot in the clerk’s office and voting it in the clerk’s office. Also available to an absent voter is the option to return their ballot during the early voting period in a federal or statewide election.

A resident of Givat Shmuel who maintains dual citizenship confided, “I have heard that absentee ballots are counted last and only when there is a close tie, so why should I think that mine will be counted at all?”

Not true, explains Bollin. “All absentee ballots are counted if received on time. Further, the board of canvassers verifies the number of ballots sent, returned, and counted.”

Theis adds, “Different states count them at different times. While in Michigan they used to be counted last, that is no longer the case with voting law changes; but they were always counted.”

Who is eligible to vote in the US from abroad?

Ruth, a Jerusalem-based resident who emigrated in her teens 35 years ago with her family, asked, “I am an American citizen but I never voted in an American election. Can I still vote? And what about my adult children? Are they eligible to vote?”

That, according to Zell, varies by state. Most of the United States allow anyone who once resided there, or had a parent, legal guardian, or spouse residing there once, to vote in that state, if he or she has not registered or voted in another state.

However, 11 states, including Florida, Maryland, Texas, and Pennsylvania (a swing state), require that the voters themselves must have resided there at one time. In other words, if a parent from one of those states immigrated to Israel and children were born here who are now voting age, even if they maintained American citizenship, because they never resided there, they are ineligible to vote.

“No state requires you to be physically present to vote there, and most permit online registration and ballot requests,” Zell explains. “While most states require ballots to be [snail] mailed or delivered to the local election, a handful of states permit online voting. There is a checkbox on the ballot that asserts that you are ‘not sure’ if you intend to live in your non-US home that allows the expat to vote absentee.”

Bollin encourages anyone with questions about voting eligibility to visit the website www.fvap.gov. The federal site has hyperlinks to each individual state, with state laws detailed, and a copious question and answer section.

“In addition, there are two laws that should also be reviewed based on an individual’s situation,” Bollin adds. “They are the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act and the Military and Overseas Voters Empowerment Act. I strongly advise Americans living overseas to read and refer to them.”