Daria Santos is ready to cast her vote, and the chance to do so in person at the Mexican consulate in Phoenix makes her feel closer to her home country. It’s the first time she will vote from abroad and she is proud to participate in a historic election, in which voters could elect the first woman president in México’s history.
“For me, voting means a lot, it means a lot to my country,” said Santos, a 58-year-old mom of three children.
In Arizona, 50,901 Mexicans submitted their credentials to vote at the Mexican consulate in Phoenix, according to data from May 2 supplied by México’s National Elections Institute, or INE. The numbers are subject to change as inconsistencies have been discovered in the registry and some of the credentials were determined to be inadmissible, and with some being subsequently approved.
The places where most Mexicans have registered have been in Los Angeles, with 185,369 people signing up to vote, followed by Dallas with 152,559 and Chicago with 122,313.
Though they may have left México years ago, thousands of immigrants in Arizona still feel patriotic about their country and are preparing to vote.
For many Mexican immigrants, voting from outside the country makes them feel a little closer to México. For decades some have crossed the desert, the river and walls along the border to seek new opportunities in the United States. Many others came with legal authorization to study or for a career opportunity and stayed.
Some of them cannot vote in the United States as they don’t have legal status. But every six years, since 2006 when México began allowing voting from abroad, they claim a right that nobody in this country can take away from them.
Luis Coronado Guel is the director of Mexican Initiatives in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Arizona. Coronado Guel says that it’s unlikely that voters from abroad will be a deciding factor in the Mexican election, but can empower Meixcans to embrace their identity and civic pride.
“In reality it’s really symbolic the number of people who can vote outside of México, while the election will actually be decided in the states with many more voters within the Mexican republic,” Coronado Guel said.
The Mexican elections are different from the U.S. elections, where the electoral college decides who takes the presidency. In México they use a simple majority of votes to choose a president.
In 2006, Mexicans elected conservative candidate Felipe Calderón, from the National Action Party (PAN) by a narrow margin of just more than 0.5% of the total vote, or 233,831 votes. It’s important to remember that in such tight elections, every vote counts.
An estimated 12,027,000 Mexicans live abroad, of which more than 97% are based in the United States, according to the National Electoral Institute, the non-partisan organization that runs Mexican elections. Of that total, only 630,513 Mexicans outside of the country have proper credentials and are able to vote, but that doesn’t mean all of them are registered. People not only need to have a voting card, but also be registered for the June 2 elections.
Alfredo García lives in Arizona and registered to vote online. He’s among the 226,661 people in the United States who sent in their paperwork and were approved by the Registration System for Voting from Abroad, or SRVE.
“I remember what México is like, the unending lines, but I saw a lot of enthusiasm, the people were there because they were interested,” García said. “There were people from all over, I saw people from Durango, Michoacan, Guerrero, entire families trying to start this process.”
Mexicans who live in Arizona will have three options to exercise their voice in the Mexican election: directly at the Mexican Consulate in Phoenix, by internet, or by postal mail. The most popular option is electronic voting, with almost 70% using that method, followed by postal mail, 23%, and in-person voting, 7%.
Born in Chihuahua and now 60 years old, García migrated to Arizona in 2001 and still remembers the guilt he felt for leaving México. He left with the idea that, maybe, “the country could improve.”
He made a life for himself in Arizona and feels pride in participating in an election he sees as historic. He remembers the comment current President Manuel López Obrador made when he called migrants “living heroes” for the record of remittances they have sent back to México.
“Before you were a traitor and now I’m a hero,” García said, referring to past administrations’ perception of migrants.
Mexicans will decide between presidential candidates Claudia Sheinbaum of Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s Morena party, Xochitl Gálvez of the Broad Front for México (a coalition of opposition parties), and Jorge Álvarez Máynez of the Citizen Movement party.
Coronado Guel, the UA professor, says that these elections stand out as a woman will likely take the presidency for the first time in México.
“Mexicans are excited to see if the change from a man to a woman will be positive,” he said. “I think we have a lot of hope instilled in this.”
The success and representation of women in Mexican politics isn’t a surprise, Coronado Guel said. He recognizes that gender parity within public institutions and elected positions is quite balanced in México.
“From political parties, houses of congress and the senate have to meet a gender quota in which women occupy at least 50 percent of the positions,” he said.
In 2019, there were constitutional reforms to incorporate a law known as “Parity in Everything,” which called for equal participation between women and men in positions of power and public office.
All set to vote
In addition to electing a president, Mexicans will also vote to renew the 500 members of the Chamber of Deputies and the 128 members of the Senate, according to the INE. At the same time, 30 of the country’s 32 states will hold elections, in which 19,000 state and local positions will be elected.
Migrant deputations will be at play in México City, Oaxaca and Jalisco. For the first time in history, there will be a vote for a migrant senator, a Dreamer residing in Arizona.
Coronado Guel is an expert in history and Mexican-American studies. He understands the importance of civic responsibility and has already registered electronically to vote from abroad.
“It is important to continue encouraging citizen participation from the United States,” he said. “This term, it was neglected a bit. In previous terms, there was more evident representation.”
To those voting in person, he recommended considering that there will only be 1,500 ballots for each host consulate.
“It’s a very limited number, which lends itself to disappointment,” he said. “People go and stand in line, but the ballots can run out within the first hour the polling station opens.”
In the United States, there will be voting modules at the consulates in Phoenix, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Fresno, Houston, Los Angeles, New Brunswick, New York, Oklahoma, Orlando, Raleigh, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Ana, Seattle, and Washington.
In-person voting at the Mexican Consulate in Phoenix will be located at 320 E. McDowell Road, Suite 320. On June 2, the consulate will open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Santos, the Mexican mother who will vote for the first time in Arizona, wants to do so in person at the consulate in Phoenix.
“By voting abroad, I am sharing something with my country,” she said.
She left Oaxaca 25 years ago to emigrate to Arizona. “I dream of returning to Oaxaca almost every day,” she said.
Until her dream comes true, Santos finds comfort in going to the consulate in Arizona to be part of an election, where for first time a woman could lead México.
When and at what time will the third presidential debate be held?
The latest presidential debate among the three Mexican presidential candidates will be on May 19 at 8 p.m. (México City time). Like previous debates, it will last for 120 minutes.
The debate will be broadcast through the National Electoral Institute’s social media channels and on its YouTube channel: INE TV. The debate will also be available in three Indigenous languages: Maya, Tzotzil, and Nahuatl.
What are the topics of the third presidential debate?
- Social Politics
- Lack of Safety and Organized Crime
- Migration and Foreign Policy
- Democracy, Pluralism, and Division of Powers
Electronic Voting
By May 3 at the latest, Mexicans abroad should have received in their email the information for accessing the online voting system. From May 18 until 6 p.m. (Central México Time) on June 2, 2024, you will be able to cast your vote electronically online.
Voting by Mail
In the first week of May 2024, the INE should have sent by mail an Electoral Postal Package containing printed ballots. The package includes instructions and a prepaid envelope to return your votes to the INE in México. You should return the envelope with your votes as soon as possible so they arrive in México no later than by 8 a.m. (Central México Time) on June 1, 2024.
In-person Voting
On June 2, you should go to one of the Voting Reception Modules set up by INE to cast your vote. Voting will be open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
In Arizona, the voting site is the Mexican Consulate in Phoenix, located at 320 East McDowell Road Suite 320. You must present your valid Voting Credential processed abroad or in México.
For more information, consult this INE link.
Candidates for the Mexican Presidency
Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, candidate for the National Regeneration Movement, the Labor Party, and the Ecologist Green Party of México.
Born in México City. 61 years old.
She holds a degree in Physics, a master’s, and a doctorate in Energy Engineering from UNAM, according to the candidate’s official website. She was the first woman in history to enter the Electrical Engineering PhD program at the same university.
She was part of academic groups at Stanford, the University of California, and El Colegio de México, where she conducted studies on climate change. She served as Secretary of the Environment in 2000.
She was former Head of Government of México City. After four and a half years in office, she left the position to run for the presidential seat of her party, which she founded.
Xóchitl Gálvez Ruiz, presidential candidate for the Institutional Revolutionary Party, the Democratic Revolution Party, and the National Action Party.
Born in Tepatepec, Hidalgo. 61 years old.
She studied computer engineering at the UNAM Faculty of Engineering and specialized in robotics and sustainability, according to the candidate’s official website. She is currently an entrepreneur.
She was an official of former President Vicente Fox’s administration. She was head and general director of the Commission for the Development of Indigenous Peoples.
In 2010, she unsuccessfully ran for the governorship of her native state of Hidalgo. She was head of the Miguel Hidalgo borough in México City.
Since 2018, she has held a seat in the Senate for the National Action Party.
Jorge Álvarez Máynez, candidate for the presidency of México for the Citizen Movement.
Born in Zacatecas. 38 years old.
He studied a bachelor’s degree in International Relations at the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Occidente, according to the candidate’s official website.
He was a local deputy in Zacatecas for the Institutional Revolutionary Party. He served as Secretary of Organization and National Political Action for the Citizen Movement party.
He was a member of the National Operative Commission and Secretary-General of Agreements. He was a federal deputy for the Citizen Movement party. He served as secretary on the Culture and Cinematography, Public Education and Educational Services commissions.
He was re-elected as a federal deputy and is currently the leader of the Citizen Movement parliamentary group in the Chamber of Deputies.
Candidate Proposals
Claudia Sheinbaum
For education, she proposes a universal scholarship for students up to secondary school, extended hours for more physical and artistic education, health service programs in schools, and the continuity and strengthening of educational programs, according to the candidate’s official website.
For health, she presents a national, cross-administration plan to coordinate public health institutions, integrate the private sector into the public health model, and strengthen the IMSS Bienestar.
For the economy she commits to maintaining “republican austerity,” directing spending toward social programs, reforming the pension system, increasing the minimum wage, and investing in the southern part of the country.
Xóchitl Gálvez
For education, she proposes opening full-time schools that offer extracurricular activities, providing equipment and internet access, increasing salaries, and hiring more teachers, according to the candidate’s official website.
For health, she proposes an integral health system, launching the Mi Salud card for access to any clinic, rebuilding the medication distribution system, and offering free psychological care.
For the economy, she plans on an alliance with entrepreneurs, support for MIPyMES, the creation of the National Agency for Entrepreneurship, support for ventures led by young people and women, and the maintenance of current social programs.
She proposes the Mexican Card, providing 5,000 pesos per month for vulnerable women.
Jorge Álvarez Máynez
His proposals are divided into three main areas: democratic governance, social policy, and economic reform, according to the candidate’s official website.
For democratic governance, he proposes the demilitarization of public security, guaranteeing Judiciary autonomy, reforming the prosecutors’ offices for merit-based recruitment and regulating marijuana consumption.
For social policy, he commits to establishing a universal pension system with a gender perspective , including technical skills in education, promoting financial education and creating a care system for vulnerable groups.
For economic reform he aims to implement a guaranteed minimum income and temporary unemployment insurance, strengthen MIPyMES, and reform development banking along with creating new credit instruments.
Translated by Carolina Cuellar and John Washington
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