48 thousand: The mistake that could wipe out new parties even before the elections
418 thousand votes were lost in the previous elections due to parties that did not pass the electoral threshold. Ahead of the 26th Knesset, the new parties of Erdan and Edelstein, Hendel and Tropper, and also Gantz and Simhi need to learn the lesson.
The best advice that can be given to the new parties organizing ahead of the elections for the 26th Knesset is to look at the results of the elections for the 25th Knesset held in 2022 and discover how many lists did not pass the electoral threshold then, and as a result, hundreds of thousands of votes went to waste.
In the previous Knesset elections, the electoral threshold stood at 3.25% (154,820 votes). All lists that received fewer votes did not win representation in the Knesset, and the votes cast for them were erased. In contrast, lists that passed the electoral threshold even by a few votes won four mandates. In total, 418,055 votes were thrown in the trash in the previous elections. Votes cast for 30 lists were erased, and only ten parties passed the electoral threshold. Meretz was short by only 4,124 votes for four of its representatives to enter the Knesset. This phenomenon has been repeating itself since the electoral threshold was raised from 2% to 3.25% in 2014 at the initiative of Avigdor Lieberman, leader of Yisrael Beiteinu.
The fact that such a large number of lists run in the elections stems from the fact that it is very easy to register a new party with the Registrar of Parties. A one-time payment of about 37 thousand shekels is sufficient, a commission fee for registration and publishing an advertisement in the press. Such a party can participate in any election cycle, without further obligation. The representatives of these parties receive their letter on the ballot papers and enjoy airtime in the propaganda broadcasts.
It would be worthwhile for Gilad Erdan and Yuli Edelstein, who held a press conference a few days ago where they announced their intention to run in the elections as part of a new list, "Ha-Achdut" ("Unity"), to pay attention to the data detailed here. It is appropriate that Yoaz Hendel and Chili Tropper, who established "Beit Tzioni" ("Zionist Home"), should also be aware that achieving the electoral threshold is not an easy task. The same applies to Benny Gantz and Dedi Simhi, who apparently intend to run together in the upcoming elections.
The most important lesson that the leaders of the new parties can learn from the past is that it is better to go on a joint list, and not to split into small parties, which in the end in many cases are disappointed and cause frustration to their voting public. They invest great effort and money — and remain outside the Knesset.
