It\u2019s a historic day for Mexicans in the Bay Area. It\u2019s the first time they can vote in a Mexican election while living abroad \u2014 one that is likely to result in the country\u2019s first female president.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Voters are choosing between two women, Claudia Sheinbaum and X\u00f3chitl G\u00e1lvez. Sheinbaum, who is Jewish, is an academic, former mayor of Mexico City, and a member of the ruling Morena party. She promises to continue outgoing President Andr\u00e9s Manuel L\u00f3pez Obrador\u2019s populist policies. G\u00e1lvez, of Otomi indigenous origin, is a former senator and tech entrepreneur who pledges to fight drug cartels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Adair Guzm\u00e1n, from Veracruz, was the first Mexican to arrive at 5 a.m. Sunday at the Mexican consulate in San Francisco, one of 23 cities allowed by Mexico’s National Electoral Institute to host in-person voting. At 26 years old, Guzm\u00e1n was one of a few young voters among a crowd of predominantly older compatriots. \u201cIt is a great satisfaction that we can vote abroad,\u201d said Guzm\u00e1n. \u201cIt was through social networks that I was able to inform myself.\u201d Guzm\u00e1n said he took a day off from work to be able to vote, an opportunity that not many Latin American countries offer to their citizens living abroad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ang\u00e9lica Guerrero, 50, arrived at the consulate at 6 a.m. Originally from Tlatelolco in Mexico City, Guerrero said electing a female president \u201creflects an opening in ideology and strength that we women have always had, and is now starting to get recognized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to Alejandro Araiza, a representative of the National Electoral Institute of Mexico (INE), there were 262 people registered to vote from abroad at the San Francisco consulate. \u201cThis vote is the largest election in history in terms of voters and in terms of the number of positions,\u201d said Araiza. There are 128 Senate seats up for grabs in the election, as well as 500 federal deputies (similar to the U.S. House of Representatives) and 9 governorships. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis is historic,\u201d said Armando S\u00e1nchez, 48, who was thrilled to see so many people lined up to vote alongside him. \u201cWe come here to be part of history.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Election day is scheduled to end at 5 p.m.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It\u2019s a historic day for Mexicans in the Bay Area. It\u2019s the first time they can vote in a Mexican election while living abroad \u2014 one that is likely to result in the country\u2019s first female president.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":88922,"featured_media":61036,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":true,"newspack_featured_image_position":"behind","newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"coauthors":[25171],"class_list":["post-61025","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n