Israeli Arab activists fear that voting among their sector will reach an all-time low in the upcoming parliamentary elections, which would endanger their representation in the Knesset.
A study commissioned by the Association for the Advancement of Democracy in the Arab Sector estimates that 52 percent of eligible Israeli Arab voters are certain they will actually head to the polls, as compared with 53 percent of Israeli-Arabs and 63 percent of Jewish Israelis in the last election cycle.
While that is not a significant drop, Wajyah Kayouf, head of the association, said that the actual number of eligible voters that head to the polls will likely be closer to 45 percent. Kayouf said that poll numbers are generally higher than the number of actual voters.
He also warned that the immediate repercussions of the lower voting rate would be diminished Israeli-Arab representation in the Knesset.
"In order for there to be Arab representation in the Knesset, there must be an effort to encourage voting," said Kayouf. "It is very important that Arabs remain a part of the Democratic game, and it doesn't matter for which party they vote."
The study polled 500 Israeli-Arab adults in early December.
