MEXICO CITY Talk about a tall order.
Mexico wants its countrymen and women who emigrated to the United States to vote in next summer's presidential election back home.
And odds are that many of these immigrants would like to have a voice in an election that will be a referendum on whether to continue the current administration's policies, particularly the war against the drug cartels, return to the party that ruled Mexico for more than 70 years, or elect a leftist candidate.
In a tight race, the votes from potentially millions of immigrants could play a role in the outcome. But to be able to vote they must have a key document a Mexican electoral card.
Trouble is many don't have it. And the only place to get the electoral card is in Mexico. But many immigrants cannot return home, either because they are undocumented or for other reasons.
That's why a total of 35 bills were introduced in Mexico's Congress in the last six years to reform the laws on voting from outside the country.
And an advisory group of immigrants, organized by the Mexican federal government, petitioned the Mexican Senate to allow the use of the identification card issued by Mexican consulates, known as the "matrícula consular," instead of the electoral card to register to vote.
None passed.
"We have a model that does not help Mexicans who live outside the country to vote," flatly admitted Francisco Guerrero, a citizen adviser to Mexico's independent Federal Electoral Institute (known as IFE), which runs elections in that country.
The Congress rejected the proposals for a variety of reasons, including a concern that somehow the voter rolls could be hacked, that involving the Mexican consulates could open the door for the current administration to potentially influence the election, and that election costs could go up.
Still, the Mexican Congress did adopt some changes to make it easier for immigrants vote from the United States.
For starters, they made it easier to register through an Internet site. They don't even have to provide their address if they don't want to an issue that come up six years ago, when immigrants first had the opportunity to vote.
The voters don't have to pay the postage to send the ballot back home a process that cost $16 per voter six year ago. This time around the ballot comes with an envelope with the postage paid.
About 45 days before the Jan. 15 deadline to register to vote, some 7,523 immigrants have done so. Sure, it's a very low number given the 4.5 million immigrants the IFE estimates has the voting credential to vote, but the number is nearly three times higher than it was for the same period in the last electoral cycle.
During the presidential election of 2006, the first time Mexicans living outside the country could vote, just 32,000 did so.
Given that nearly $20 million was spent promoting the vote among immigrants, the turnout was considered a failure.
This time around the IFE has less money to spend on promotion but insists it will be more targeted.
"I hope it's the last time that the process to vote outside of Mexico is carried out this way," said an IFE adviser, Benito Nacif, at a recent workshop held for Latino media in Mexico City.
Electoral officials are not making predictions how many immigrants will register to vote. But they are convinced that there is a "political market" that has the right to be heard and could make a difference in the next presidential election.
"Our goal is to have more Mexicans register to vote than last time," said Guerrero, the IFE adviser. "This way we send Congress a message that the immigrants' vote is gaining importance."
Alexandra.mendoza@sandiegored.com
[sidebar]How immigrants can vote
Mexicans living in the United States who have a valid electoral card must register to vote in the presidential election by Jan. 15, 2012, through an Internet site.
Afterward, they will receive their ballot by mail, which they must fill out and send back.
The federal election will be held on July 1. Ballots sent from the United States will be counted that day.
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