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When I made aliyah in the mid-90s, I found myself in political heaven. Raised in the US, I was accustomed to battles between well-coiffed WASPs who differed more in style than substance. Small parties were the habitué of eccentrics. With minor exceptions, for the last 200 years America has offered two flavors – Republicans and Democrats. At times their differences have been very pronounced, but now? On the issue I cared about most – the candidate’s attitude toward the State of Israel – there was no real division. Then I made aliyah, and whoa, did I have choices. Right of right, left of left, parties for the taxi drivers, parties for the pensioners. Parties for businessmen, parties for Ashkenazi ultra-Orthodox from Lithuania, parties for Chasidic Ashkenazi ultra-Orthodox. Parties for the north, parties for the south, parties all around.

Here in Israel, you can reach a remarkable level of ideological granularity. As a new immigrant, I thought this was swell. And unlike in the States, I wouldn’t have to wait four years to cast my vote. Indeed, I’d been in the country less than a year when an election rolled around. The first time I was eligible to vote, I lined up at a dusty makeshift polling station at my army base and chose a small party that exactly suited my beliefs. Predictably, the small party joined the Netanyahu-led coalition and received its single portfolio. And just like that, the lofty ideals that my small party espoused were muted. My party could sit at the table but could not lead. I felt betrayed. Had my vote yielded no more than a coalition deal and then, silence? Where was I reaping the benefits of voting for my precise ideological match?

 Now, thirteen years on, I’ve learned a few things. Here’s one biggie: Small parties are a waste of your vote. Once the campaign rhetoric melts away, the small parties, whether or not they join the coalition, are not the ones dictating policy. They can posture and threaten to bolt the coalition if their demands are not met, but at the end of the day, the major parties set the tone for the issues we hold most dear. The smaller parties reflect a vital and healthy parliamentary democracy, but in terms of real influence – they’re just along for the ride.

 Chances are if you’re an ideological purist, your party will be at one extreme or the other of the political spectrum. Post-election, they’ll either fall in line in with a single portfolio or howl into the Knesset wilderness from the back benches. And if your small party is for sale, extracting concessions from the highest bidder, well, that’s probably not what motivated your vote, and in any case, you’ll probably come away disappointed. The Oslo Agreement ratification in the Knesset hinged on whether the Labor-led left wing coalition could woo three renegades from Tzomet, a small secular right-wing party whose voters could not have imagined how their Knesset delegates would stray. Two of the three members, Gonen Segev (who would later be convicted of drug smuggling) and Alex Goldfarb were promised cabinet posts in exchange for their betrayal. Could this have been prevented? While certainly no political stripe is exempt from corruption, these members were political unknowns thrust into the spotlight, beholden to no one. Without the vetting process of a primary and national exposure, it’s sometimes hard to know what surprises lurk downlist on a small party, and by the time you find out, it’s sadly too late.

 Like eating a high-calorie delicacy, voting for a small party that perfectly matches your core beliefs might feel good while you’re doing it. But think of the consequences. We’re privileged to live in a time where our votes shape this wonderful still-young nation. Make your vote count by voting for a party that can act.