Without 61 on the horizon: The nightmare of "vote burning" that could decide the elections

The article analyzes the growing concern over "vote burning" in both political blocs, against the backdrop of polls predicting that neither bloc has 61 seats. The proliferation of new and small parties, such as "HaAchdut" of Erdan and Edelstein, Ofer Winter's party, and Arab parties running together, could lead to wasted votes. The electoral threshold is expected to rise to about 171,000 votes, which could decide the election results.

The article analyzes the growing concern over "vote burning" in both political blocs, the right and the opposition, against the backdrop of polls predicting that neither bloc has 61 seats to form a government. A proliferation of new and small parties is expected to run in the upcoming elections, and a significant portion of the votes they receive could come from parties affiliated with the larger blocs, preventing them from crossing the electoral threshold. Gilad Erdan and Yuli Edelstein's "HaAchdut" party does not cross the electoral threshold in polls, despite its launch. Ofer Winter is expected to announce a new party, and Yosef Haddad may be on the list. In the opposition bloc, Benny Gantz and Blue and White, the Reserve Soldiers' Zionist Home of Tropper and Hendel, and Yaron Zelicha's party could draw votes. The three Arab parties, Hadash, Ta'al, and Balad, have announced a joint run, after Balad remained outside the Knesset in the 2022 elections with 138,617 votes. The electoral threshold is expected to rise to about 171,000 votes due to an increase in the number of eligible voters, which could reach 7.561 million. In the 2022 elections, nearly 420,000 votes went to waste, 8.8% of all voters.