Elections are upon us. Now is the time to talk about protecting the right to vote in Israel!

Last week, the Knesset finally adjourned after completing its entire four-year term—an increasingly rare occurrence in Israeli politics. And what a terrible term it has been.

In its final week alone, the Knesset passed a series of dangerous laws that will have far-reaching consequences for Israeli democracy and equality. They include the Basic Law: Torah Study, which declares Torah study as a fundamental value with the clear intent of placing it above other values, such as equality; legislation eliminating criminal sanctions for draft evasion by yeshiva students; rolling back kosher certification reform and reinstating the State Rabbinate's monopoly; expanding gender segregation in academia; dismantling the institution of the Attorney General and increasing political control over the media. We are working to oppose these laws, some through Supreme Court petitions challenging their constitutionality, and some through planning to pressure the next government to repeal them.

Last week also brought another important development: the date of Israel's next election was officially set for October 27. These will be the most consequential elections in Israel's history, determining the direction the country will take in the years ahead.

Historically, we never had voting rights issues in Israel. But now, for the first time, there is a real concern about the integrity of the electoral process. We are deeply worried about attempts to undermine the right to vote through violence, disinformation, and efforts to interfere with the voting process. In fact, the government isn't even trying to hide its intentions. In a recent move, it is trying to limit voting in senior living communities, as older voters tend to be more liberal.

To help safeguard free and fair elections, we are now working to recruit hundreds of volunteers from Reform congregations across Israel and through our Reform Network (which allows liberal Israelis to affiliate with the movement without joining a local synagogue). Our training will prepare them to serve as observers at polling stations on Election Day to help ensure that the law is upheld and that every vote is protected.

But there is one community whose right to vote has been compromised for many years: residents of the unrecognized Bedouin villages in the Negev.

Because these villages are not officially recognized, their residents do not have formal addresses in the Population Registry. Instead, they are registered only according to their tribal affiliation. As a result, they are assigned to polling stations arbitrarily, sometimes located as much as three hours away from where they live. Unsurprisingly, this has led to dramatically lower voter turnout—just 35 percent, compared to the national average of around 70 percent.

For several years, we have been working to change this reality by calling for polling stations to be placed within the villages themselves, making voting genuinely accessible.

This week, together with the Council of the Unrecognized Villages, we will file a petition with the Supreme Court against the Ministry of Interior and the Central Elections Committee, arguing that Israel's election law can and should be interpreted to allow the establishment of polling stations in these villages without requiring legislative change.

On Shabbat, in preparation for the Fast of Tisha B'av this Wednesday night, we read a haftarah from the opening of Isaiah that warns us of the consequences of corruption and injustice, of cynical exploitation of power that tramples the rights of others. But it ends with a stirring verse that looks forward with hopeful assurance: Zion will be redeemed with justice and those who return with righteousness (1:27).

In the weeks ahead, we will continue working to protect both the right to vote and the integrity of Israel's elections against any attempt to undermine them. As we have done throughout the past four years, we will fight to protect our democracy in the name of Judaism and to bring about a future of justice for all the inhabitants of this land.

Sincerely,

Orly Erez-Likhovski