The Jewish Obligation to Vote

Written by Rabbi Elliott Karstadt — 25 May 2024

There is a story about Rav Avraham Karelitz, the Chazon Ish, being asked by a Bnei Brak resident, who took it as a given that he shouldn’t vote, whether he should vote or not. The Chazon Ish answered him clearly that he should vote.

On election day, the Chazon Ish saw the questioner and asked him, “Did you vote yet?” The man answered that he had not. “Why not?” the Chazon Ish continued to ask. “I don’t have enough money to cover the voting tax,” the man responded. “Do you own a pair of tefillin?” the Chazon Ish persisted. “Of course,” the man replied. “So go sell your tefillin to pay the tax and vote,” answered the Chazon Ish.

The Chazon Ish explained that the man was met by two mitzvot: wearing tefillin and voting. “I’m not worried that this Jew will not put be putting on tefillin,”explained the Chazon Ish. “If need be, he’ll borrow a pair. I am afraid that he won’t perform this other mitzvah – voting in the election.”

So, it is a Jewish commandment to vote – not just something that our tradition permits and tolerates alongside our religious lives. Voting is part of a religious imperative to participate in the political process.

In a recent article in the lead-up to the local elections, Rabbi Josh wrote about the ruling of Orthodox rabbi, Moshe Feinstein, who associated the obligation to vote with the obligation of hakarat hatov – that we express our appreciation of the good that government does for us by voting and thereby fulfilling our part in the process. The blessing that many Jews say upon voting is one of gratitude: thanking God for the freedom to be able to vote.

But voting is not just something that I have for my own benefit. I don’t believe that I should say a blessing of thanks simply for the fact that I personally have a vote. I also should be grateful that everyone else has a vote as well. I’m conscious that a large proportion of people in the room don’t yet have the right to vote. And there is a strong argument for extending the franchise to children. I’ve spoken about that in a previous sermon.

So often – and we will see this as the election campaign gets going over the next few days – so often we value the votes only of those who agree with us; the rights only of those who are going to vote for the same person or the same issue. Yet we benefit from a society that is multivocal; that encourages diversity in approaches and plurality of political positions. Even though one person will ultimately be elected, we hope they will work to represent everyone, including those who disagree with them, even hate them.

Our vote is ours, and we should celebrate the diversity of political positions.

When it comes to contemplating who we vote for, what are the questions we have in our minds: are they questions about what is good for us as individuals or families? What is good for our group? Or can we reach beyond that and ask: what is best for the whole of society? What will improve the lives of others, even if it does not change mine?

That is not always easy, but it is the challenge of living in a democracy. And the challenge of being a Jew – because we are told that we are to be a or lagoyim a light to the nations. In the Torah, Abraham is told v’hitbarchu b’zar’acha kol goyei ha’aretz – all the nations of the earth shall be blessed through your descendants.

Whether we like it or not, our fate is bound up with those non-Jews who live around us, and our obligation when we vote is not simply to think ‘what is good for me?’ or even ‘what is good for the Jews?’ – but ‘what is good for everyone?’ Whatever happens over the next six weeks, let that question be the one that guides us and our decisions.