June 2 – Mexico elects Claudia Sheinbaum President – Despite problems, many voted in Los Angeles
By Joel Ochoa
On June 2, 2024 for the first time Mexicans living abroad were allowed to vote in person; and as in past elections vote electronically, or by mail. The Mexican government intended to use embassies and consular sites to accomplish this endeavor and had put the Instituto Nacional Electoral (INE) in charge of coordinating the procedural logistics. The Mexican diaspora is such that voting sites were established in the following cities in North America: Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Fresno, Houston, Los Angeles, New Brunswick, New York, Oklahoma, Orlando, Phoenix, Raleigh, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Ana, Seattle and Washington D.C. and in Montreal, Canada.
The stakes were high. Mexicans were ready to elect the first woman president, (only the second in North America[1]), in their history and enthusiastically responded. Both of the leading candidates were women: Claudia Sheinbaum of MORENA and Xochitl Galvez of the Fuerza y Corazon por Mexico coalition. Unfortunately the INE was not prepared and what was expected to be civil celebration, turned out to be a great despoilment.
Here in the United States previously registered Mexican voters went to different consulates, by the thousands, hoping to cast their votes and waited up to nine hours in line with no water, food or toilets. At the end of the day the great majority of them didn’t vote because of the ineptitude of either the Mexican government, or the INE, or both.
At the Los Angeles Mexican Consulate on West 6th Street there were only 1500 ballots available; woefully inadequate for the thousands who came out to vote. Riots were avoided thanks to the intervention of leaders who had the courage to face a highly volatile situation. These local leaders had to tell irate and frustrated people to learn the lesson of the day, go home and prepare for the future.
Claudia Sheinbaum, the Mayor of Mexico City and the MORENA party of incumbent President Andres Manuel Lopez Orbrador won a smashing victory garnering over 58% of the vote.
[1] Canadian PM Kim Campbell, June 25-November 4, 1993
