Mexico to Hold World’s First Direct Election of Judges on June 1

Electing 881 Judges Including 9 Supreme Court Justices
Voter Apathy Due to Complicated Voting System

Mexico will hold a special election on June 1 (local time), becoming the first country in the world where judges are elected directly by the people.

On May 28, the National Electoral Institute (INE) of Mexico announced that it had concluded a 60-day campaign period for the election of federal judiciary judges and was now entering the stage of preparing for voting and vote counting. In this election, a total of 881 judges, including nine Supreme Court justices, will be elected. The electoral commission selected 3,422 candidates from nearly 18,000 applicants who held a law degree and had at least five years of legal experience, through eligibility screening and evaluation committee assessments. After subsequent withdrawals and resignations, the final number of candidates stands at 3,396.

On the 28th (local time), officials at the National Election Institute in Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico, are preparing for the judge election to be held on the 1st of next month. Photo by AFP

Previously, in September of last year, Mexico amended its constitution to introduce a direct election system for all judges through a national vote, reduce the number of Supreme Court justices from 11 to 9, shorten the term of Supreme Court justices from 15 years to 12 years, abolish lifetime pensions for justices, and prohibit judges' salaries from exceeding the president's salary. Following this, the Mexican Senate randomly selected the courts that would participate in this year's election. In this election, half of all judges will be replaced, while the remaining regional judges will be elected in 2027.

Locally, there are predictions that voter turnout for this election will be low due to voter apathy. According to a face-to-face survey conducted by polling agency Enkoll, commissioned by the daily newspaper El Pais and W Radio, from May 18 to 20, among 1,023 adults aged 18 and over nationwide (with a 95% confidence level and a margin of error of ±3.1 percentage points), only 38% of respondents said they intended to participate in the vote. The turnout for the presidential election held in April last year was 61%. Only 48% of respondents said they knew the exact date of the election, which is less than half.

The voting process is also complicated. Depending on the region, there are between six and nine ballot papers, each listing 200 to 300 candidates. For example, voters in Mexico City must select 50 candidates from among 300 listed on nine ballot papers. Accessing information about the candidates is also a challenge. Although the electoral commission operates a candidate introduction website, it takes a significant amount of time to review all candidates. In response, Bloomberg News pointed out, "In the end, it has become an 'information-poor election,' with candidates relying on social media and personal funds for campaigning."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.