The State Knows How to Reach Sailors, but Not the Citizens Who Built It | Dr. Nachman Shai

Dr. Nachman Shai attacks the Central Elections Committee's decision not to place polling stations in nursing homes, calling it "shameful" and "foolish." He claims it harms about 37,000 voters and points out the irony that sailors and envoys abroad are eligible to vote. Shai calls on the High Court of Justice to intervene.

Dr. Nachman Shai, a former Knesset member and former chairman of the Pensioners' Lobby, attacks in an opinion column the Central Elections Committee's decision not to place polling stations in nursing homes and assisted living facilities in the upcoming Knesset elections. He calls the decision "shameful" and the reasoning of "inequality" foolish, arguing it is an invention designed to deny about 37,000 voters residing in these frameworks their right to vote. Shai notes that Justice Amit mentioned that the state knows how to provide exceptions, such as special polling stations for state envoys abroad, but not for El Al pilots who landed in New York. He comments on the irony that sailors, mostly foreigners, are eligible to vote, while senior citizens are turned away. Shai mentions the rising life expectancy in Israel (women 85, men 82.5) and the growing public of pensioners who contributed to the state but are neglected by it. He calls on the High Court and the Elections Committee to dismantle the problem, and cynically suggests joining the navy to gain the right to vote.