אחוז החסימה עשוי להכריע את הבחירות – שלמה קופרמן

The latest reports from various polling stations across the country show that the electoral threshold is truly going to be the catalytic player that determines these upcoming elections. While that is true, there are many advantages to a high electoral threshold: it strengthens governance, reduces the extortion power of small parties, encourages mergers, promotes appeals to a broader electorate, and makes Knesset work more efficient with larger parties, and so on. But perhaps, in light of the election results— which we don’t know yet, but that’s where it seems to be heading—maybe we should think about lowering the threshold next time in a more balanced way, one that truly allows for changes, which also need to be discussed, especially regarding the ultra-Orthodox parties and, as we know, other parties; how do we represent their voices within the larger parties? Do they need to be represented? That is a whole debate, but either way, if we had a higher electoral threshold. It’s possible that tonight the results would be a bit clearer and more inclined toward the direction that those who were in power would be a bit happier with. So, will we really wake up tomorrow morning and cry over spilled milk? I don’t know, but maybe for next time, it’s worth preparing a little differently in advance. H