Transcript [00:01] How do we know that we can trust the [00:04] results of an election in Israel? It's a [00:06] great question, especially you know, the [00:07] last uh few years, it's been a it's been [00:10] quite a topic, especially in America, [00:12] election integrity, and how do I know [00:13] that I can trust the ballot count. [00:15] So, I've been a poll worker, and I've [00:18] I've been in the counting rooms. I've [00:20] been part of that process. I've [00:22] experienced it, been part of it a few [00:23] times. [00:24] And uh what I want to do in this video [00:26] is I want to walk you through the the [00:29] process of voting and the counting of [00:33] ballots. And you'll see that the Israeli [00:35] system, while it's not cheat proof, [00:36] there's no I don't think there's such a [00:37] thing as a system that's 100% cheat [00:40] proof, [00:41] but it comes really close. Meaning, the [00:43] the way the Israeli system is built it [00:44] makes it very, very difficult [00:47] to mess around with the ballots, okay? [00:49] So, I'm going to walk you through the [00:51] process, exactly how it works from when [00:52] you walk in the door to vote, [00:54] or even before it, through all the way [00:57] through till the counting of the [00:59] ballots. Okay. [01:00] So, [01:02] first of all, everyone uh everyone in [01:04] the country who's a citizen uh who's uh [01:06] of eligible of of voting age uh in the [01:09] weeks leading up to the election [01:10] receives a card in the mail that [01:14] basically tells them [01:15] uh [01:16] helpful information where they have to [01:19] go to vote, right? You have to go to [01:21] your vote in America you call it your [01:23] precinct, but uh it's it's subdivided [01:26] into very small groupings of a few [01:28] hundred people in each one. So, for [01:30] example, in my neighborhood, my [01:31] neighborhood's not that big, there's a a [01:33] local school, and each of the classrooms [01:35] in the school uh is set up as a [01:38] different uh essentially precinct. [01:40] Uh and I I can only go vote there, and [01:43] it'll be the people on my street, the [01:44] people on my block, the people in my [01:46] immediate area. Even people in my same [01:48] neighborhood a few streets away will be [01:50] voting in a different room, okay? [01:53] So, here's what happens. [01:54] Um I get I I have to take a photo ID. A- [01:58] You can only vote by showing a photo ID. [02:01] And [snorts] you go to the polling [02:03] station. [02:05] And when you show up at the polling [02:06] station, [02:07] in the room where you vote, here's what [02:09] you will find. You will find a table [02:12] and sitting seated at that table are a [02:14] number of people. [02:16] And there are people who are actually [02:17] employed to by the election commission, [02:20] by the interior ministry, to run the [02:22] polling station, but you'll also have [02:24] observers, [02:25] representatives of [02:28] various parties. And any party running [02:30] in the Knesset election can choose to [02:33] put an observer in any voting station [02:35] they want. So, you usually have a number [02:37] of people sitting there who are [02:39] observing and they're watching [02:40] everything and they have a they have a [02:41] permit to be there and they're sitting [02:43] at the table and they're watching [02:45] everything that takes place. Meaning, [02:46] and if they want to take a look at [02:47] someone's photo ID to verify that it's [02:49] that person, they can do so. I've been [02:51] one of those observers. So, if someone [02:53] comes in [02:55] um, to vote, they come in and they and [02:56] they take out their their driver's [02:58] license or their photo ID, whatever it [02:59] is, and they hand it to someone at the [03:01] table [03:02] and that person then checks it to make [03:04] sure it's the right person and any of [03:06] the observers can say, "Can I see that [03:08] ID?" And they can see that ID, they can [03:10] look at it and verify that it's the [03:11] person. In fact, I once caught someone [03:13] cheating using a using someone else's [03:16] ID. This happens sometimes uh, in [03:18] communities where, you know, some people [03:20] might might look alike and there's [03:22] someone who's away or isn't voting for [03:25] whatever reason and uh, you know, people [03:27] who are who are overseas and because [03:29] there's no absentee [03:31] voting in Israel, I'll get to that later [03:32] why there isn't in the late maybe at the [03:34] end of the video I'll talk about why [03:35] there's no absentee voting in Israel. [03:38] Uh, but someone has to present their ID [03:39] and I once caught someone. I found I I I [03:42] looked at someone it didn't look like it [03:44] was the it was the same person and in [03:45] fact, the person who was voting had [03:47] already voted using a different ID. [03:50] People had collected IDs of people who [03:51] otherwise weren't voting. Um [03:54] So, that's an attempted way to cheat, [03:56] but again, it's it's very hard to do so [03:58] cuz you're holding up someone's photo [04:00] ID. Anyway, person comes in, you hand [04:02] your photo ID to the people behind the [04:04] table, and what do they do? So, what [04:07] they have in front of them [04:10] is a printed [04:12] uh pad of of pages. [04:16] And it is printed with the names of all [04:18] the people who are eligible to vote in [04:20] that voting station. [04:22] Okay? It it's [04:24] And next to each each name it has an ID [04:26] number, it has their address, it has [04:28] basic identifying information. [04:30] And it also it it and it numbers them. [04:32] Okay? So, you have this this this uh [04:35] this printed pad, sheets of paper with [04:38] the names of every single person who's [04:40] eligible to vote there. And here's the [04:41] key, there are two copies of this pad. [04:44] So, it's not one person who has the pad [04:46] in front of them. There are two people [04:48] from different parties who are sitting [04:51] there with that pad. Okay? So, someone [04:53] walks in, they hand their ID, [04:56] and the person who takes the ID says the [04:58] name of the person, they look them up on [05:00] the pad, they look them up on both pads, [05:02] and on both separate pads, they cross [05:05] out the name of that person. That that [05:07] person has now arrived to vote, they've [05:08] given in their photo ID, and their photo [05:10] ID is held at that table until they're [05:12] done voting. [05:15] Once their name is identified on the [05:16] list, they're in the right polling [05:17] station, their name gets crossed off of [05:19] it, they have voted on both on both [05:22] booklets. [05:24] They are then handed an envelope. Okay? [05:27] And here's what that envelope looks [05:28] like. It's like this envelope here. [05:30] And they're handed an envelope, and it [05:32] has a signature This envelope has a [05:34] signature on it. Uh it's an official [05:36] voting envelope. They're handed a single [05:38] envelope, [05:40] and that's how they're going to vote. [05:42] So, they're going to take that envelope, [05:44] and they're going to walk uh and they're [05:46] going to walk into the actual, [05:49] uh, spot to vote. [05:51] So, they're going to walk behind [05:53] this, uh, [05:55] uh, this little partition. [05:57] They're going to walk behind it. [05:58] And behind the partition, there's going [06:00] to be this tray [06:01] with all of these slips of paper. [06:05] Okay? And the slips of paper have [06:08] letters on them. And the letters on the [06:11] slip of paper each represent a different [06:13] party, right? So, let's say that first [06:15] uh, slip of paper at the top there, that [06:17] says those three letters on it, that [06:18] happens to be the party, that happens to [06:20] be the Labor Party's letters. Or you [06:22] have, uh, this party down here, Shas, [06:24] the Shas Party. There's And there's a [06:26] whole bunch of parties that aren't going [06:27] to get in. You see how many parties [06:28] there are. There are nowhere near this [06:29] many parties in the Knesset. But all the [06:32] Each party has a slip of paper, and [06:34] underneath the, uh, underneath the the [06:36] large letters, it also says the name of [06:39] the party and who's the leader of the [06:40] party. Okay? So, what you do when you're [06:43] behind, uh, when you're behind the, uh, [06:45] the partition where no one else can see, [06:47] you take one slip of paper and you stick [06:51] it into the envelope. You then seal the [06:53] envelope. And you pull off a little, [06:56] uh, little, uh, [06:58] little protective cover of the glue. You [07:01] seal the envelope. You then walk back [07:04] out front. [07:05] And, you know, and you see in the in [07:08] the, uh, in this photo here, you see the [07:09] guy who walk He He fin- He's finishing [07:11] voting. He walked back out front. And [07:13] he's placing his envelope into this box. [07:17] Now, the box [07:19] is sitting [07:21] on a, um, on the chairs there in front [07:24] of the observers. The person sitting [07:25] here is one of the observers who is [07:27] watching, who's who's a poll watcher. [07:29] He's watching this polling station. And [07:31] the poll watchers stay in the room the [07:33] entire day. They can leave for a break [07:35] if they want. And then they simply won't [07:37] be observing for that time. But [07:39] basically, that room always has people [07:41] from all the different parties, from a [07:43] lot of the different parties, who are [07:44] sitting in that room watching every move [07:46] that takes place in there from the [07:47] beginning of the day till the end of the [07:49] day. So, [07:51] again, you give in your photo ID, you [07:53] get your envelope, you go behind the [07:54] thing, you take one of the slips of [07:56] paper, put it in the envelope, go back [07:57] out in front and put it into the box. [07:59] Now, the box is locked. It has It [08:00] literally has a lock on it. Uh uh uh [08:04] this this cord this metal cord on it [08:06] that keeps it locked all day long. [08:08] And the envelopes are placed in there. [08:11] Now, if you put two slips of paper into [08:13] the into the envelope, it's not going to [08:14] be valid. Uh we'll get into that more [08:17] uh uh when we talk about how the votes [08:19] are counted. And then, once you've once [08:22] you've put your envelope in and people [08:24] are watching as you do this, [08:26] you then go back to the table, they give [08:28] you back your ID, and you leave. And [08:29] they've marked your name off on the [08:31] list. You have come in and you have [08:34] voted. Okay? [08:36] Great. [08:37] Uh in fact, I think actually they cross [08:38] off your name after you've actually put [08:41] the envelope in because you could back [08:42] out and say, "I'm not going to vote." [08:44] And then uh and then you didn't vote. [08:45] But basically, that's what happens. You [08:47] come in, they cross your name off the [08:48] list, and you vote, and you leave. [08:50] Great. [08:52] Now, [08:53] at the end of the day, [08:55] when the polls close, [08:57] remember, that box has never left the [08:59] room. It's been in the room the entire [09:00] day. There have been observers from [09:02] various parties in the room with that [09:04] box all day long, keeping a watchful eye [09:07] on it. [09:08] Everything is totally visible. [09:10] That box will never leave that room. [09:13] It's not going to be hauled off [09:14] somewhere else to be counted. This is [09:16] one of the big inefficiencies in [09:17] American elections, where they take the [09:19] ballots and they ship them off to some [09:22] counting center. And that's where all [09:23] the shenanigans can happen. Once you [09:25] start moving things around. One of the [09:27] uh one of the very wise [09:29] uh [09:30] uh choices that the Israelis made when [09:32] they set up the system is that the box [09:34] doesn't go anywhere. The votes in this [09:36] box are going to be counted in this [09:39] room. [09:40] And the observers in this room [09:44] could very well be and usually are the [09:46] same people who were watching all day [09:48] long. They haven't even left the room. [09:51] And if they might they could switch with [09:53] someone else who also gets a permit to [09:54] be in there. People can join the [09:56] counting later on, but they have to have [09:57] a permit to do it. But basic but but the [09:59] key point is this, that box never leaves [10:02] the watchful eye of a people from a [10:04] variety of different parties. [10:07] Okay, so what happens when the polls [10:08] close? The polls close [10:11] and then they take uh uh um [10:13] before they do anything else. [10:15] They [10:17] they they um [10:18] they check to make sure that the same [10:21] number of people were crossed off in [10:23] both booklets. [10:25] That there's that no one was crossing [10:27] off more [10:28] you know, and and there's no extra names [10:30] crossed off. That it's the same number [10:32] of people crossed off in both booklets. [10:34] Okay? And that And that's why you have [10:36] two of them because otherwise people [10:38] might might play games. Someone might [10:40] cross a name off and take an envelope [10:42] that represents that crossed off name [10:45] and figure out a way to, you know, slip [10:47] a piece of paper in it and get it into [10:48] the box. It would be hard to do because [10:50] everything's being watched all day long. [10:52] But hypothetically that could happen. [10:54] Maybe maybe uh it's it's a sleepy kind [10:56] of uh voting uh center and maybe a [10:58] couple people went to the bathroom. They [11:00] agreed to take a break and someone got [11:01] in there. [11:02] But you have these two booklets and [11:04] they're being they're being held on to [11:05] by different people from different [11:07] parties and that ensures there's going [11:09] to be integrity. Okay? Or it or it helps [11:11] ensure. So, voting ends the day is over [11:16] and what do we do? So, first we check [11:18] that the two booklets have the same [11:19] number of names crossed off. [11:21] We count how many people voted cuz a lot [11:24] of some people don't show up [11:26] for whatever reason. We count how many [11:27] people voted, make sure it's the same in [11:29] both booklets, and then we open the box. [11:31] And when we open the box, the first [11:33] thing we do is we count the envelopes. [11:36] Now, remember, everyone sitting in the [11:37] room, there are representatives from all [11:39] the parties observing this process, who [11:41] are part of the process. Everyone's [11:43] sitting in the room together. [11:44] Um and everything is done in uh in such [11:48] a way that everyone can see it. [11:51] Okay, so we open the box, dump out all [11:53] the envelopes onto the table. [11:56] And the first thing that happens is the [11:57] envelopes get counted. Before any of [12:00] them are opened, count up all the [12:02] envelopes and make sure that the number [12:04] of envelopes in the box is exactly the [12:07] same as the number of lines crossed off [12:10] in those booklets. Okay, so now, once [12:13] we've verified that, um and you could [12:15] ask me what happens if it's not the [12:16] same. I don't know because I've never [12:18] been in a situation where it's not the [12:20] same. [12:21] Okay? But there's there is a procedure [12:23] for that about how to adjudicate the [12:25] disputes. But basically, you check to [12:27] make sure that the number of envelopes [12:29] are exactly the same as the number of [12:30] lines crossed off, and now we can start [12:32] to open the envelopes. [12:34] So, what happens? [12:36] Remember, there's representatives of all [12:38] the parties watching this, sitting in [12:39] the room together. [12:41] The envelopes then get opened one by [12:44] one. [12:45] Not all at once, not by different [12:46] people. There is one person who opens [12:48] the envelopes, and he opens them one at [12:51] a time. [12:52] Opens an envelope, [12:54] checks what's inside it, shows everyone [12:56] the inside of the envelope to show them [12:58] that there's that there was nothing else [13:00] in the envelope except one slip of [13:02] paper. If there's more than one slip of [13:04] paper, it is an invalid vote. Invalid. [13:08] If the paper is If the paper is written [13:10] on, it's an invalid vote. [13:12] It has to be one slip of paper taken [13:15] from that tray in the envelope. [13:18] So, he he takes out the slip of paper [13:20] from the envelope, he shows it to [13:21] everybody. The person who takes it out [13:23] of the envelope shows it to everyone in [13:25] in room, holds it up so everyone can see [13:26] what letter was on it, and everyone in [13:29] the room has paper and pen in front of [13:31] them and marks off a vote for that [13:34] party. [13:36] Okay? Everyone in the room [13:38] is keeping their own tally. [13:40] So, you pull one out, it's for let's say [13:42] Likud, [13:43] and they show it, and so the person [13:45] makes a line like 1 2 3 4 and then 5, [13:48] you know, the the classic way to keep [13:50] count of fives. [13:52] So, everyone does one one Likud. Okay, [13:55] and then pull one out and it's for let's [13:57] say, I don't know, [13:58] Eisenkot's party. So, pull it out, [14:00] Eisenkot's party, everyone sees the [14:01] letter, marks off for Eisenkot's party [14:04] one on their own sheet of paper. [14:06] Everyone's keeping their own track. [14:08] And that's how we go through all of the [14:11] votes. Now, each these slips of paper [14:13] are also saved. They are they're put [14:16] into stacks. Usually, it's a it's a [14:18] metal board with nails sticking up, so [14:20] they can kind of, you know, like people [14:21] have in a deli to put down orders, and [14:23] they put down the stacks of these votes, [14:26] so that we have the actual slips of [14:28] paper, stacking them up [14:30] for a different stack for each party. [14:33] But again, one by one they're being [14:34] opened, everyone in the room sees them, [14:36] everyone in the room is keeping a tally. [14:38] And every time you get to a five, so at [14:41] the fifth vote for a party, the 10th [14:43] vote, the 15th vote, every time you [14:44] finish a five, which when you're doing [14:46] the 1 2 3 4 5, when you do the five, [14:50] they say that it's a five, [14:53] right? That we're that we're closing a [14:55] five, and then everyone verifies that. [14:56] And sometimes it'll be like, "Wait, wait [14:58] a second." One person's like, "Wait, I [14:59] didn't have it closing as a five. I I [15:01] had one less." [15:03] Or or I closed a five before you did. [15:05] That means that someone lost track. At [15:07] that point, everyone stops, take the [15:10] slips of paper, recount them to make [15:12] sure that everyone's on the same page, [15:15] and that every and that the vote count [15:16] is exact. Okay? Go through all of the [15:20] envelopes, counting up all of the votes [15:23] for everyone to see. And remember, this [15:25] is happening in the same room that the [15:27] voting took place. These envelopes never [15:29] left the room. They never And that box [15:32] was always visible to observers from [15:34] various parties. [15:36] And that uh and that kind and that makes [15:38] it uh very, very difficult to cheat in [15:42] in election. [15:43] Now, I mentioned that I would uh and now [15:46] Oh, what happens at the end? Sorry, [15:47] we're not done. So, then once it's [15:48] finished, once we've counted up all the [15:50] votes were voted in uh [15:52] uh in that in that uh [15:54] in that precinct, [15:56] uh it's then entered onto an official [15:58] sheet of paper, and everyone gets to see [16:00] it, and everyone signs off on it that it [16:03] was done that they that they witnessed [16:05] it, that they saw it. [16:06] Uh and we confirm that everyone's [16:08] numbers on everyone's sheet of paper are [16:10] exactly the same, and that's the number [16:12] that gets entered in. Everyone gets to [16:13] see it written in. [16:15] And then that is the sheet that is [16:17] officially submitted as the results for [16:19] that polling station, for that precinct [16:22] or polling station, whatever you want to [16:23] call it. That's how it's done. [16:25] Then the slips of paper are then [16:27] packaged up and put into envelopes, and [16:30] they are repackaged back into that box, [16:32] and that box [16:34] with paperwork saying what what uh [16:37] polling station it was from then gets [16:40] uh [16:41] uh put into safekeeping. It gets uh it [16:43] gets sent to a somewhere where where it [16:45] will be stored for for safekeeping, [16:48] just in case there needs to be a recount [16:50] for whatever reason, if there's any [16:52] inefficiencies that the for some reason [16:54] it needs to be opened and recounted, the [16:55] paperwork with the record of all of this [16:57] is there, and it can be recounted. So, [16:59] we save the actual evidence. [17:01] But, the the important point here to [17:04] understand where the integrity of the [17:05] electoral process works in Israel is [17:08] that [17:09] there are eyes of whatever parties want [17:12] to participate. Now, not every party [17:13] sends someone to every polling station. [17:14] In fact, they don't. They don't [17:15] necessarily. They send to polling [17:17] stations they want to send to, but [17:18] there's always a bunch of parties in the [17:20] room. I've been in a room with with [17:21] seven, eight, nine parties all [17:23] represented in the room together as [17:25] we're doing the counting. So, there's a [17:26] lot of different parties there [17:28] represented and everyone can see [17:30] everything. It's totally transparent and [17:32] it's all paper ballots. We're not [17:33] relying on machines or anything like [17:35] that. There's no ability to manipulate [17:37] it through technology. It's actually a [17:39] very strong system. Having lived through [17:41] it, having been both sitting at the [17:43] table as a as a poll watcher and also [17:45] being part of the counting process, I [17:47] can tell you it is very difficult. It is [17:50] very hard to cheat or certainly hard to [17:52] cheat on any kind of mass scale [17:55] uh in an Israeli election. [17:57] Now, [17:59] this all happens in just a few hours [18:01] because the polling stations, each one [18:03] only has a few hundred people voting in [18:05] it. [18:05] So, uh it's it's actually it actually [18:08] can happen just in a couple of hours. [18:09] The country's really subdivided into [18:11] lots and lots of polling stations. And [18:13] then those those results are phoned in [18:16] and they then get entered into the [18:18] national database and you can then look [18:21] up on the Interior Ministry's website [18:23] any polling station for any election in [18:25] Israel's history and see exactly how [18:27] many votes were cast for which parties. [18:29] It all goes into the public record. It's [18:30] totally transparent and visible to [18:32] everyone. [18:33] Um now, [18:35] I mentioned before that there's no [18:36] absentee voting in Israel and some [18:38] people have asked me, American friends [18:39] of mine are like, "What? There's no Why [18:41] is there no absentee voting? How come an [18:42] Israeli abroad can't vote by mail?" [18:45] Well, [18:47] there's a very simple reason for it. Um [18:49] well, first of all, let me say that it's [18:50] not that there's no absentee voting. [18:52] There's absentee voting only for people [18:54] who are in national service abroad. So, [18:56] for example, people who work in the [18:57] embassies and the consulates around the [18:59] world who are doing some national [19:02] uh [19:03] job [19:04] abroad can vote absentee. They're the [19:07] only ones who can. But why can't an [19:09] Israeli living abroad or an Israeli who [19:11] happens to be abroad, uh vote in an [19:13] absentee way. [19:15] Um or let's say I'm going to be away on [19:18] election day, why can't I vote why can't [19:20] I vote in advance? Well, it's actually [19:21] quite simple. [19:23] Israel's Israel has a law, a very [19:25] well-known law called the law of return. [19:28] Right? Which What's the law of return? [19:30] You probably heard of it. The law of [19:32] return grants citizenship to any person [19:35] who's a Jew. That doesn't mean that [19:36] every Jew in the world is a citizen of [19:38] Israel. That's part of the point. [19:40] But any Jew in the world who can prove [19:42] that they're Jewish [19:44] uh [19:45] is entitled to become a citizen of [19:47] Israel automatically. They can come to [19:48] Israel and declare and and show that [19:50] they're a Jew and they automatically are [19:52] granted citizenship if they so desire. [19:56] Why is this relevant? Well, think about [19:58] it. [19:59] If you have the law of return that any [20:01] Jew in the world can come to Israel, [20:04] apply for citizenship, and automatically [20:06] be granted citizenship, [20:09] then that would mean that any Jew in the [20:11] world could end up voting in the Israeli [20:13] election. [20:15] Because any Jew in the world could come [20:16] to Israel, declare themselves a citizen, [20:19] get on the next plane, go back home, [20:21] and forever after they're an Israeli [20:23] citizen and can vote in the election. [20:25] And we don't want to have that. We want [20:26] the people who are voting in an Israeli [20:28] election to be people who are committed [20:30] to the state of Israel, who are [20:31] committed to living here, who are [20:32] affected by security decisions and the [20:34] and the major decisions that that affect [20:37] the [20:38] the citizens of Israel. [20:41] We don't want every Jew in the world to [20:43] have a say in Israeli politics. [20:45] And therefore, the existence of the law [20:48] of return, [20:49] which is very important law, [20:51] actually makes it impossible to have [20:54] absentee voting as well and still have [20:56] meaningful elections. So, that's I'm not [20:58] sure that's the official reason, but [21:00] that's a reason that makes perfect sense [21:01] to me. [21:02] Um there's probably other good reasons, [21:03] but Israel does not have absentee [21:06] voting. All right, I hope this explained [21:08] the process. I hope you found this [21:09] interesting. Please like, share, and [21:11] subscribe. And oh, one last thing. [21:14] I almost forgot. [21:15] Um [21:18] we have a very important book that you [21:19] want to get a hold of, a copy of. Very [21:22] It's a short book. It's very [21:23] user-friendly. It's called the [21:24] Pro-Israel Handbook. And it has a lot of [21:28] vital information, basic historical [21:30] information, basic truthful information [21:32] to equip you to push back against the [21:35] most common lies about Israel, the most [21:38] common attacks against Israel. You will [21:40] be well equipped to answer a lot of [21:42] those issues. You get a hold of this [21:44] book. [21:45] You can click on the link in the [21:46] description of this video. And there's a [21:47] promo code there [21:49] for you to get 15% off. [21:52] And it was recently published by Israel [21:53] 365. Great book. You want to get a hold [21:55] of one. The Pro-Israel Handbook. All [21:57] right, thanks for watching. Hope you [21:59] found this helpful. And please drop a [22:01] comment. Let me know what you thought. [22:02] God bless.
