Mexico City Electoral Institute
Washington, DC–Mexico City, June 27, 2018.
Participation in Mexico’s 2018 election by Mexico City natives who live abroad doubles that of 2012
- Mexico City Electoral Institute voting campaign tripled voter registration figures abroad
Within days of Mexico’s general election, and after a great effort from the Mexico City Electoral Institute (IECM) to promote the participation of citizens who are native to this city, the number of votes received from residents living abroad reflects an increase of 231% compared to those received in 2012. In numbers, this means that this year, 19,870 votes have been received compared to the 7,911 six years ago.
“The efforts we made to communicate and connect emotionally and civically with Mexico City natives who have migrated to other countries have paid off; we managed to earn their trust through a moving campaign we call #VotoChilango, and the number of people who registered and are interested in exercising their right to vote from abroad has tripled since 2012,” expressed Yuri Beltrán Miranda, IECM counselor.
Although the recommended date to send vote-by-mail ballots has passed, the IECM is still encouraging citizens to continue submitting their ballots as soon as possible since votes may still arrive before the deadline, which is June 30 at 8:00 a.m.
Thanks to the efforts of the IECM, a little more than 28,500 people from Mexico City who are currently living abroad have expressed interested in participating in this year’s elections. The institute also set up a mechanism to enforce universal suffrage for Mexican citizens no matter which country they live in, which represents an accomplishment for Mexican democracy.
The #VotoChilango campaign had four main objectives:
- Raise awareness of the political and electoral rights held by Mexicans living abroad
- Raise awareness of the process to qualify and register to vote from abroad
- Promote informed and thoughtful voting by giving equal coverage to the different platforms and government programs supported by the candidates for the Head of Government of Mexico City
- Answer any questions citizens may have about voting or sending and receiving ballots
Campaign challenges:
- Counting and locating voters. Consisted of identifying Mexico City natives who live abroad.
- Knowing the target audience. Involved studying the main characteristics of those who have migrated, including how many years ago, why, and any social, economic, and cultural factors, in order to provide them with clear and accurate information.
- Acting with integrity and transparency at all times. During the campaign, the IECM released various reports on its organization and implementation process.
- Publicizing information strategically and effectively. Social media networks were fundamental in achieving constant communication with Mexico City voters and establishing a feeling of trust.
- Achieving an increase in civic engagement. The biggest challenge is ongoing and consists of getting all Mexicans who were identified and who met the requirements to vote from abroad to mail their ballot back to Mexico.
Above all, the efforts of the IECM over these months have given Mexico City natives living abroad the opportunities to increase their level of civic engagement by exercising their right to vote, to continue supporting friends and relatives who live in Mexico City, and strengthen their feelings of belonging to their community.
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