2024: Presidential Elections in Mexico and the USA

Julián Escutia-Rodríguez, Cónsul of México in Las Vegas

Special to The Nevadan / El Nevadense

Mexico and the United States hold presidential elections around the same time every 12 years. In Mexico, on June 2nd, 2024, citizens will elect their new president, 64 senators, 300 deputies, 6 governors, the head of government of Mexico City, among other officials. In the United States, on November 5th, candidates will compete for the presidency, 435 seats in the House of Representatives, 34 Senate seats, and 11 gubernatorial offices, among many other local positions. In these two parallel processes, the participation and votes of Mexicans and Mexican Americans will be significant for both countries. 

Since 2005, Mexicans abroad have had the opportunity to vote remotely, a demand that originated in the 1990s, when migrant organizations requested to exercise this constitutional right. The initiative was effectively implemented during the 2006 elections, when 32,621 votes were cast outside of Mexico. Since then, civic participation has been constantly growing. In 2018, more than 98,000 Mexican citizens living abroad participated in the presidential elections. In the run-up to 2024, the independent electoral authority in Mexico Instituto Nacional Electoral (abbreviated to INE in Spanish), with the support of our consular network in the United States, has issued more than 1,400,000 voter credentials to Mexicans living outside of our country.

For the upcoming electoral cycle, the INE has intensified its efforts to promote democratic participation. It has collaborated with the Ministry of Foreign Relations to coordinate a campaign to encourage Mexicans living abroad to register to vote through the issuance of voter IDs without the need for an appointment. Additionally, three methods have been established for remote voting: 1) electronically, 2) postal mail, and 3) in-person, at 23 designated consular offices, of which twenty are U.S. metro areas with a high concentration of Mexican nationals. 

Hispanics and Mexican origin people will also have a significant role in the United States’ elections. With approximately 38 million people, the United States is the most common place of residence outside of Mexico for our nationals. In 2022, the Pew Research Center estimated that Hispanics would account for 14.3% of all eligible voters in the United States. 

Specifically in Nevada, Latinos constitute approximately 20% of the electorate in 2020. Roughly 700,000 people of Mexican origin call Nevada home. These figures have been growing steadily, so it would not be surprising if the share of Hispanic and Mexican origin voters federally and statewide is larger for 2024.

For Mexicans and Mexican Americans in the United States, 2024 presents a crucial opportunity to take part in the direction of their homelands. As the calendar approaches June 2nd and November 5th, the elections will be an extraordinary opportunity for civic participation and in which the power of their vote will resonate on both sides of the border.