A five-day, statewide, non-binding plebiscite on relaxing marijuana laws in Jalisco kicked off slowly Wednesday, as 82 electronic voting urns were set up in plazas throughout the Guadalajara metropolitan area.
The vote widens its net on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, moving out to all of Jalisco’s 125 municipalities, including Chapala, where first reports suggest that at least one machine will be installed on the malecon.
All Mexicans over the age of 15 are permitted to vote in the poll, commissioned by state legislator Enrique Velazquez Gonzalez of the left-of-center Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD), who plans to introduce a bill in the State Congress based on the survey’s results.
The poll asks two questions requiring yes or no answers: Should the legal amount of marijuana a person is allowed to have in their possession be raised from five to 30 grams? Do you agree that people in Jalisco who suffer from a terminal or chronic/degenerative disease can, if their doctor prescribes it, keep up to five marijuana plants or 150 grams of marijuana without being bothered by authorities?
No sooner had the poll commenced than its detractors began to air their objections. National Action Party (PAN) legislator Elías Íñiguez Mejía, who heads the Jalisco Congress Health Committee, said allowing teenagers under the age of 18 to vote was “incongruous” and likely to lead to a skewed result that did not reflect the true position of the majority of citizens.
Organizers has previously said everyone voting would have to place their thumbs in indelible ink to prevent double voting. However, this safeguard was conspicuous by its absence at the booths installed in the metro area this week.
Turnout on the opening day of polling was reportedly slow, with higher concentrations of younger voters in and around the booths, some observers noted.
Governor Aristoteles Sandoval said he would vote no to both questions but did not say whether he is prepared to veto any bill that Congress passes relaxing dope laws in Jalisco.
The poll is being coordinated by the State Electoral Institute (IEPCEJ). On Wednesday evening, officials said 5,711 people had voted on the first day – 3,165 of them favoring marijuana use for medicinal reasons. However, 3,516 voted against increasing the amount of grams permitted for personal use.