Assessing the Mexican Vote Abroad

Flyer [ PDF (15.71 KB) ]
TBI Border Brief [ PDF (190.55 KB) ]

Date: Thursday, February 2, 2006
Time: 12:15 - 2:00 PM
Location: Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice, Theatre & Rotunda
University of San Diego

"Mexicans who live abroad have always been in our hearts and minds. This is and always will be your country. We form a united nation, strong and indivisible. We are one people and no border could or can divide us."
- Mexican President, Vincente Fox, September 1, 2005

Although the 2006 Mexican presidential election will be the first election in which Mexicans can vote from abroad, the decision to establish a Mexican vote abroad has been discussed for several years. According to panelist Rodrigo Martinez Sandoval, Dean of Education and Human Sciences at the Universidad Iberoamericana, discussion escalated in 1996, and in 1998, Mexico's Federal Electoral Institute (Instituto Federal Electoral, IFE) created a high ranking commission to study the possibility. In February 2005, the Mexican government approved the Mexican vote abroad. Significant funds were invested in radio and television spots to promote voting from abroad, and Mexican citizens not residing in Mexico were to register between Oct. 1, 2005 and Jan. 15, 2005. However, only 20,000 of the estimated six to ten million Mexicans abroad registered-a number far lower than expected.

Several panelists offered explanations for the low registration rate. Barriers they highlighted include: complicated procedures that discouraged Mexicans abroad from registering, distrust of the government as a disincentive to voting, a $10 postage fee that voters abroad must pay, and the ban on campaigning in the United States, which limits voters' access to information about candidates. Additionally, panelists noted that many Mexicans abroad leave their voting cards at home in Mexico, or do not have voting cards; also, and undocumented migrants are hesitant to provide their address and identification information to authorities. Furthermore, many Mexicans abroad are more focused on personal difficulties and financial crises than on political participation or voting. Cultural and personal apathy toward politics, as well as doubts about the transparency of the election process, make Mexicans feel that their vote is not important, stated Raul Rodriguez of CETYS University.

Those who worked directly with Mexicans abroad in the registration process had other insights into obstacles the prevented a higher level of voter registration abroad. Migrant Outreach Coordinator Maria Curry reported that many Mexicans abroad were not aware of the latest developments in Mexican politics or policy. Talia Vasquez Alatorre mentioned logistical difficulties such as people having to travel several hours to get to a consulate to register, for example. Ramon Eduardo Ruiz, history professor at the University of California San Diego, stated that Mexicans abroad are not interested in voting because they do not see a connection with improving their quality of life abroad.

Some panelists also addressed the need for immigration policy reform in both Mexico and the United States, connecting the Mexican vote abroad to the broader issue of U.S.-Mexico migration patterns.

Moderator:
Emily Edmonds, Assistant Professor, Political Science, University of San Diego

Panelists:
Election Dynamics in 2006: What Is At Stake
Todd Eisenstadt, Assistant Professor, Political Science, American University

IFE and the Politics of the Migrant Vote Abroad [ PDF (1.83 MB) ]
Rodrigo Martinez Sandoval, Dean of the Education and Human Science Department
Universidad Iberoamericana

Legal and Political Implications of the Migrant Vote Abroad [ PDF (785.94 KB) ]
Jorge Santibáñez, President, Colegio de la Frontera Norte

The Challenges of Registering Mexican Voters Abroad
Maria Curry, Migrant Outreach Coordinator
Talia Vazquez Alatorre, Migrant Outreach Coordinator

Trans-Border Perspectives on Mexican Absentee Voting
Raul Rodriguez, Director, Biblioteca y Centro de Información "Luis Fimbres Moreno"
CETYS Universidad

Discussant:
Ramon Eduardo Ruiz, Professor Emeritus, History, University of California, San Diego