Peres and Kitzis in new campaign
Photo: Yosef Avi Yair Engel
Peres: 'Check in' after voting
In new YouTube clip, president joins other initiatives calling on citizens to participate in upcoming Knesset elections, invite their Facebook friends to vote too
VIDEO – Israel's
most interactive president ever is joining the efforts to raise the voter turnout in a new YouTube clip in which Shimon Peres stars
alongside actor and comedian Eyal Kitzis.
The two are calling on Israelis to vote in the upcoming Knesset elections, invite their Facebook friends to vote as well, and report that they have cast their vote by "checking in" on social networking services.
The video, which begins with a shot of an iPad presenting the clip, Peres invites viewers to participate in the most important reality show. "Voting is the most important civic duty, which will affect the personal fate of each and every one of you," he says.
Through the Facebook application users can send four of their friends an invitation to vote together, which will appear on their timeline.
In the clip, Kitzis explains that "on Election Day, all the friends you invited will be able to 'check in' and you'll know for sure that they have all voted."
In the US presidential elections held in November, Facebook allowed users to report that they had cast their vote. The social network updated a map of voters across the country in a bid to encourage other users to vote as well.
The application recommended by Peres and Kitzis is not as advanced. It doesn’t provide the option of "checking in," but recommends that voters "check in" through Facebook using their smartphones, in order to show their friends the time and place they voted in.
Peres' initiative joins additional online efforts aimed at encouraging Israeli citizens to take part in the democratic game. The Knesset's Central Elections Committee last week posted two videos with a simple message: Those who don't vote will have no right to complain about the situation in the next four years.
