Vote abroad ‘exceeds expectations’ of the INE

The influx of Mexican people abroad who went out to vote this Sunday, June 2, “has exceeded expectations,” as in the case of the consular offices of Madrid, California, Chicago and Phoenix, indicated the National Electoral Institute (INE).

The National Electoral Institute (INE) indicated that it is prepared to receive the vote of Mexicans abroad who, from very early on, gathered at the Voting Receiving Modules (MRV) installed in some cities in Europe, such as Madrid, Spain, and Paris, Franceas well as in 20 cities in the United States and in Montreal, Canada, to exercise their right to vote on this Election Day.

“In some cases, such as in Madrid, California, Chicago and Phoenix, the large influx of people who wish to vote at the consular headquarters has exceeded expectations,” indicated the INE.

In accordance with the In-Person Voting Model approved for the development of Election Day abroad, in each of the 23 consular offices, The INE has MRV in which the devices for casting the vote are operating.in order to serve the people registered on the Nominal List of the Abroad Electorate (LNEE) and the 1,500 who will be able to vote without prior registration.

Mexicans sing “Cielito Lindo” and the anthem while waiting to vote

While waiting in a long line to cast their vote this Sunday, June 2, Mexicans sang “Cielito Lindo” at Mexican representations in the United States, Toronto and Paris.

“Oh, oh, oh, oh, sing and don’t cry,” was heard in the videos shared by users on social networks.

Thousands of Mexicans vote in the United States

Thousands of Mexicans in the United States are trying to vote this Sunday in their country’s elections, in a day full of technical problems in the voting system and in the midst of lines lasting several hours at the consulates in cities such as Washington, Los Angeles or NY.

The 20 consulates where you can vote in the United States opened their doors this morning at the same time as they did in Mexico (at 2:00 p.m. GMT). In Washington DC they opened at 10:00 am local time, but several hours before there were dozens of Mexicans waiting on the street.

Four hours later, when the line grew to more than a thousand people and went around several streets, only about 150 had been able to vote in one of the five electronic ballot boxes installed in the US capital, Ricardo Sánchez, liaison for the National Electoral Institute (INE).

The reason, he points out, is that the newly launched electronic system, with tablets as the only option to vote, slows down the process a lot. “There are people, many of them older people, who do not know how to use cell phones and it takes a long time because there are many votes and a lot to select,” Sánchez explained.

In addition to the votes for the Presidency of Mexico, today all the members of the Senate are renewed and, at the local level, there are elections in nine states of the country.

According to the INE, 258,461 people will be able to vote from abroad in these elections, the largest in history, with 97 million people called to the polls.

They have previously been able to do so by mail or online, but many of them have chosen to do so in 23 consular offices that have been adapted for this (20 in the US, one in Montreal, Paris and Madrid).

Sánchez explained that the electronic ballot box system, responsible for slowing down the process, has been installed for the first time in these locations. “Citizens are still not used to this,” he said.

With three hours to go before the closing of the nine voting stations installed in the Los Angeles consulate, where 1,362 people were registered to vote, only 544 had voted, according to Leobardo Mendoza, INE liaison in said California city, told EFE. .

“The voting that is carried out in the consulates is not through a printed ballot and a ballot box, but in electronic ballot boxes that imply that citizens have to be using an electronic device and most of those who have come are older adults who they lack those digital skills,” he explained.

One of those who managed to vote was Antonio Domínguez, 95 years old, who arrived at 8:00 am local time and managed to enter at 11:00 am to vote.. “Unfortunately everything is very disorganized, it is a shame that as Mexicans and the INE representatives could not plan this,” he denounced to EFE.

Many of those present complained about the organizational chaos, since when people arrive they do not know where the line is for people already registered to vote (390 in Washington) and the line for unregistered people.

“There are many of us, but there is a lack of organization. There are only five computers when there are a lot of people outside, more than 1,000 people. When we arrived we did not find the line in which we had to form, there is a lot of misinformation,” Tamara tells EFE. , a voter originally from Mexico City, a few minutes before finally reaching the polling station after Washington DC.

At his side is Fernanda, a 41-year-old Mexican from Querétaro, who had been there for 4 hours but had not given up: “Yes, I want my vote to come in and it is worth the wait and for the parties to hear that we are willing to wait so many hours.” , it states.

For Fabiola, 37 years old, originally from Guanajuato, the important thing today is not the wait. “It may be more important that they have managed everything so that we can exercise our vote abroad, that may be more than waiting a few hours,” she says.

To liven up the wait, in the street many of those present sing songs and “Cielito Lindo” or “Mexico Lindo y Dear” plays, while they applaud those who leave the consulate with a thumbs up after having managed to vote.