Many leading hareidi rabbis voted early this morning, hoping to set an example for their followers to vote for Ariel Sharon. Rabbi Shalom Yosef Elyashiv even called upon mourners - who are forbidden by Jewish law to leave their homes except for specific reasons - to vote today, as well as mothers of newborns and the elderly in old age homes. In the city of Bnei Brak, a bastion of hareidi population, a relatively impressive 52% of the population had voted by 4 PM, thanks to the work of Degel HaTorah - a major faction of the United Torah Judaism party. MK Moshe Gafni predicted that many more voters will come later this afternoon and evening when they finish their day\'s Torah studies.