In the April 9 election, only 49 percent of eligible Arab voters in Israel — an all-time low — exercised their civic right (compared with 68 percent nationally). Among Bedouin Arabs, participation dipped even below that, with barely 37 percent voting.

Based on conversations with friends and neighbors in Rahat, Abujafar predicted that overall participation among Israeli Arabs as a whole could be as high as 65 percent come 10 P.M.