One of the most extraordinary — and complex — elections in Mexico’s history takes place on Sunday, June 1, when citizens go to the polls to elect a staggering 881 judicial positions.
Electing members of the federal judicial branch by direct vote was a key policy goal of former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO), primarily, he insisted, as a way to root out corruption and democratize the judicial system. While most citizens agree that Mexico needs a more impartial and effective judiciary, many critics of the reform have viewed the move as a significant threat to judicial independence and a means for the ruling Morena Party to consolidate its grip on power. Others were even harsher on AMLO, accusing him of petty vengeance against Supreme Court justices who consistently blocked some of his key reforms. Significantly, most of the current high court judges who locked horns with AMLO have withdrawn from the election.
When voters get to the polling stations, they will be handed six multi-colored ballot slips, each with a slew of names for different positions. One of their primary tasks will be to select nine Supreme Court justices from a list of 81 candidates, as well as 464 Circuit Magistrates and 386 District Judges. In a convoluted equation, the INE has divided up the country’s circuits and districts so that ballots in each state will include only a portion of the 3,208 total number of candidates. (For example, in Jalisco, 32 magistrates and 25 judges will be elected.) In addition, 148 candidates will vie for 22 posts on the federal and regional electoral tribunals, and the Judicial Disciplinary Tribunal. And in 19 states, there will also be state-level judicial elections, with nearly 2,000 positions up for grabs (Jalisco is not one of these).
The elections are being organized by the National Electoral Institute (INE), but will differ from regular federal elections in many aspects, partly due to fewer resources allocated for the exercise. Among the changes that have been heavily criticized are the reduced number of polling stations — in Jalisco, slashed from 11,000 to just over 5,000 — and the lack of accredited observers. Also, ballots will not be immediately tallied by citizens at the stations once voting has closed; instead, the sealed boxes will be sent to INE district headquarters for counting by public officials.
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