The Orthodox Union and Jewish Leadership Coalition for School Choice (JLCSC) are pleased to announce a joint nonpartisan voter registration campaign in Hollywood and Boca Raton, South Florida.
September 10 through 24 will be designated for voter registration in local organizations, synagogues and schools. At these locations, voter registration forms, instructions and eligibility resources will be available. The purpose of the campaign is to increase the level of participation and engagement by Jewish Floridians in the upcoming federal, state and local elections.
Florida’s Jewish community is certainly mindful that the presidential and congressional election will impact key national policies including U.S. policy toward Israel, the economy and the healthcare system. However, many voters often overlook other important issues decided by state and local governments – issues such as tuition scholarships for their children and critical aid for parochial schools, including Jewish day schools, are often directly influenced by elections at the state and local level.
Jesse Hervitz, deputy political director for the Orthodox Union, has made the Jewish day school community’s involvement in state and local government one of the OU’s main focuses in South Florida. “There are many issues of importance in state and local governments on which the Jewish community’s voice must be heard. This will not take place until our community as a whole makes the most of their civic responsibility.”
Eliot Schreiber, director of the South Florida Chapter of the JLCSC, noted the potential impact of the Jewish community in local races as it pertains to issues of importance to the local Jewish schools. “A number of races of importance in North Miami and Miami Beach were decided by only 800 or so votes,” he said. “The Jewish community needs to understand how important each vote is. We need to get more involved and send the message that our community values this fundamental American right and takes it seriously.”
