Thousands of Volunteers Step Up to Transport Voters with Disabilities
With only half of Israel's polling stations located in accessible buildings for the upcoming elections, a massive grassroots volunteer initiative has mobilized to transport elderly and mobility-impaired voters.
The number of people with mobility limitations in Israel is growing annually, and three years of war have further expanded their share. Despite this, only half of the polling stations in Israel for the upcoming elections will be located in accessible buildings. For some of these voters, simply reaching the polling places will also present a challenge. Instead of the state stepping in to fully resolve the issue, thousands of volunteers are stepping up to provide transportation.
Avi Farber from Hod HaSharon already has plans for election day. Aside from exercising his democratic right to vote, Farber knows he will likely dedicate his time to driving at least one person who has difficulty getting to the polling station nearest their home. He does not yet know who it will be, and certainly has no idea how that person intends to vote. From his perspective, it does not matter. "Some people have difficulty getting there, so I volunteered," he says.
The Lapsed Directive and Grassroots Initiative
Another factor motivated Farber to volunteer a few weeks ago: at the time, it appeared that many elderly citizens would be unable to vote because the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee decided not to renew a temporary provision allowing dedicated polling stations in nursing homes. This arrangement had been established during the COVID-19 pandemic and greatly facilitated voting for some 30,000 elderly residents in nursing homes and sheltered housing facilities.
Alongside petitions to the Supreme Court and attempts to work with the Central Elections Committee, an impressive civic initiative was born from the ground up: "Election Escorts" (Melavei HaBehirot), a project connecting volunteers with elderly individuals and others with mobility challenges to help them reach the polling station closest to their homes. The initiative began as a WhatsApp group created by Adi Israeli, a Tel Aviv University student, social activist, and "above all, a worried citizen," as she puts it. Later, Yehal Ben-Ner, also a social activist and a person with a disability herself, joined the effort.
"Some people have difficulty getting there, so I volunteered," says Avi Farber, a volunteer from Hod HaSharon.
A Tsunami of Volunteers
The group filled up rapidly, followed by another group and yet another. "A tsunami of volunteers," Ben-Ner says. An online system was subsequently established to enable secure registration for volunteers. To date, about 5,200 volunteers have registered, the vast majority with cars and a small number with wheelchair-accessible vehicles.
The polling station crisis in nursing homes has since been partially resolved: following a petition submitted to the Supreme Court, the Central Elections Committee announced it had coordinated with various nursing homes across the country to allow polling stations to be set up on their premises. A total of 186 nursing homes responded to the call. While this is not a sweeping solution—as a larger number of nursing homes hosted polling stations when the regulation was in force—it provides a solution for a significant portion of these elderly residents.
Challenges Amid Wartime Realities
The issue of accessibility to polling stations concerns not only tens of thousands of elderly residents in sheltered housing and nursing homes, but also hundreds of thousands of Israelis dealing with mobility impairments. Currently, only about half of the polling stations are located in accessible buildings.
Yoav Haddad, the accessibility commissioner at the Central Elections Committee, explains: "We rely on existing buildings." According to Haddad, where new public buildings have been constructed in accordance with accessibility requirements of recent decades, polling stations are accessible. Where they do not exist, those in need are forced to seek out the nearest accessible polling station.
The Central Elections Committee boasts that since the previous election cycle, the number and proportion of polling stations in accessible buildings have increased, reaching about half of all polling stations today. However, Haddad notes, "There were significant challenges because of the war, as public buildings [where polling stations were planned to be set up] were damaged, which changed the data."
Despite the increase in numbers, the "Access Israel" association believes much more needs to be done. "The obligation to make public buildings accessible has been the law for 20 years," says association chairman Yuval Wagner. "Making 50% of the polling stations accessible is simply not enough." Wagner points out that information regarding accessibility and the nearest special accessible polling station is also insufficiently accessible.
Service Dogs and PTSD Awareness
Alongside visible physical disabilities, the war has also brought increased awareness to those dealing with mental health injuries and post-traumatic stress. "Unfortunately, the issue of post-trauma has received more resonance in recent years, and it is important for us to address it as well," says Haddad.
This is reflected in the briefing provided to polling station secretaries and ushers regarding service dogs, which now also accompany individuals dealing with PTSD, as well as briefings regarding various "queue exemption" cards, which now include individuals dealing with PTSD resulting from their combat service.
