More than 33,000 votes have been cast in the World Zionist Congress elections during the first two weeks of voting, Jewish Insider has learned. 

High turnout: The numbers mark a 200% increase in voting in comparison to this time period in the 2015 election. With voting open until March 11, organizers tell JI they fully expect that the total number of voters will exceed the previous election. 

Who is running: More than 1,500 candidates across 15 slates are running for the 152 U.S.-held seats in the Congress. Earlier this week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu endorsed the Zionist Organization of America slate. 

Why it matters: “The peak in interest is evidence that American Jews are more engaged than ever in the political process, care about issues regarding Israel and understand the importance of U.S. representation to the 38th World Zionist Congress,” Herbert Block, executive director of the American Zionist Movement, which runs the U.S. elections, tells JI.