In the last week of October, I Vote Israel has reported that it sent some 80 thousand ballots, weighing 500 lbs., to the U.S. embassy in Tel-Aviv (which should, naturally, be moving to Jerusalem by the end of January, if candidate Mitt Romney makes good on a promise made traditionally by every presidential candidate in the past few decades).
According to the I Vote campaign National Director Elie Pieprz, those represent close to a quarter of all the overseas ballots filled out by U.S. citizens around the planet. We are one involved tribe, aren’t we.
So, here’s some information regarding those ballots, filled out mostly in the offices of the Association of Americans & Canadians in Israel:
First, how crucial were those ballots? Well, to paraphrase the well known adage, some folks are more crucial than others. The most crucial were Ohio ex-pats, who sent in 3500 ballots. Pennsylvanians, whose state is baby-bluish, leaning Democrat, also sent in 3500 ballots. And Floridians (who presumably came to Israel for a change of climate?) sent 7500 ballots.
Obviously, besides the presidential choice, each ballot also offered individuals to vote for the Senator from their state and the congressperson from their district.
The Shaviv Strategy and Campaign service conducted an exit poll among the ex-pats (no one asked us, in faraway Netanya, incidentally), so here goes:
With a sample of 1,572 voters, and a margin of error of around 2.5%:
Warm-up question: What was the most important issue for you in these elections? Taxation 0.9%; Healthcare 2.7%; Jobs and the economy 11.2%; Iran 11.2%; Israel-centered issues like the Palestinians and the status of Jerusalem 61.3%; other 10%.
In the overall congressional vote: Republicans 62%, Democrats 28.2%.
Very similar results in the Senate vote: Republicans 63%, Democrats 27.8%.
Finally, for the Chief Executive: Republican Mitt Romney 85.0%, Incumbent Democrat Barack Obama 14.3%. Daffy Duck and other write-ins 0.6%.