Voting abroad in Mexico’s 2024 election: INE deadline for overseas voters

Mexicans residing abroad have the right to vote in the next elections in 2024. The National Electoral Institute (INE) is encouraging Mexicans outside the country to vote through the Vote for Mexicans Residing Abroad page. This year, Mexico is electing a new president for the next six-year term. The Senate and the House of Representatives, nine governorships — Chiapas, Guanajuato, Jalisco, Morelos, Puebla, Tabasco, Veracruz, Yucatán and Mexico City —, and some local Congresses are also up for election. The election will take place on Sunday, June 2. Since 2005, Mexicans residing abroad have been able to vote. The Institute for Mexicans Abroad (IME) estimates that more than 12 million Mexicans live outside the country, with 97.33% of this group living in the United States.

How to apply for a voter card outside of Mexico?

A voter ID card can be requested at any Mexican consulate or embassy from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The procedure is free, and it is not necessary to schedule an appointment. You must go directly to the consular office with the following documents: birth certificate, government-issued photo ID and proof of address. Within a period of three to five weeks, the INE will send the voter card to the address registered by the applicant, who must provide proof of ID in order to receive it. The applicant must call the number inside the envelope to validate the voter card.

How to vote abroad? Registration and ways to vote in 2024

Mexicans living abroad must enter the Voter Registration System. On the page, you have to choose if your voter card was issued in Mexico or in another country. In both cases, you must provide official identification, proof of address no older than three months, your telephone number and email. After registering this information on the page, you will have to select a voting option from the following three choices:

• Electronic vote
• Postal vote
• In-person voting at consular offices approved by the INE

If you choose the first option, you will be sent a username, password and instructions to access the Online Electronic Voting System (SIVEI) via email. The information will be provided before May 3, 2024. For postal votes, the INE will send a package with ballots, instructions and different-colored envelopes in the first week of May. Once you have marked your preferences, you need to fold the ballots and place them in the corresponding envelope. The INE covers shipping costs, so this option is free of charge. The Institute must receive the votes before June 1, 2024.

If you choose to vote in person, you must go to a consular office on Sunday, June 2, and present your voter ID. These locations are only available in the United States, Montreal (Canada), Madrid (Spain) and Paris (France). Ballots are cast in the Voter Reception Modules approved by the INE.

Where to vote abroad? INE voting stations in the United States, Europe and Canada

Citizens who have not registered for any of the three options can cast their vote at an INE voting station. To do so, you must go to the voting station, present a valid ID, scan the opening code and cast your vote. The voting station official will mark your right thumb once you have cast your vote. These are the consular offices where you can vote abroad in 2024:

• United States: Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Fresno, Houston, Los Angeles, New Brunswick, New York, Oklahoma, Orlando, Phoenix, Raleigh, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Ana, Seattle and Washington, D.C.
• Canada: Montreal
• Europe: Madrid and Paris

Deadline to vote abroad in 2024

The deadline to register and vote in the 2024 Mexican elections is February 20. Citizens who wish to vote must have a valid voter ID and comply with the registration dates. People who turn 18 before June 2, 2024, can also vote. If you wish to be an electoral observer, you must register before May 7.

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