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2w ago

Mexico’s first judicial elections draw just 13% turnout as voters struggle with complex ballots

Low participation underscores widespread voter confusion, raising doubts about the reform’s legitimacy.

A supporter of Lenia Batres, who is running for election for the Mexican Supreme Court, holds an instruction sheet on how to vote, during her closing campaign rally in Mexico City, Wednesday, May 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
Demonstrators shouts slogans against the country's first judicial elections at a protest near the Angel of Independence in Mexico City, Sunday, June 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
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Electoral workers fix signs at a polling station during the country's first judicial elections in Mexico City, June 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

Overview

  • Official figures place turnout at roughly 12.6% to 13.3% of 100 million eligible voters, compared with about 60% in last year’s presidential election.
  • Over 7,700 candidates vied for more than 2,600 federal and state judicial posts on as many as six color-coded ballots that many citizens found overwhelming.
  • President Claudia Sheinbaum hailed the vote as a success for judicial democracy and a tool to purge corruption from Mexico’s courts.
  • Legal experts and civil society groups have flagged the low engagement, procedural complexity and weak candidate vetting as threats to an independent judiciary.
  • Mexico’s electoral authority has received 23 reports of possible electoral crimes and expects to complete the official vote count by mid-June.