Voting-rights profile
Mexico
Americas · mx
A president elected by plurality for a single six-year term with no re-election, a 500-seat Chamber of Deputies (300 single-member constituencies plus 200 proportional-representation seats) and a 128-seat Senate; federal elections are run by the autonomous National Electoral Institute (INE).
Profile last reviewed July 27, 2026
Mexico's federal count is one of the more robust in the region: paper ballots hand-counted at roughly 150,000 polling stations in the presence of party representatives, tallied again in public district sessions, with an independent electoral court above the INE. The documented integrity threat is not count manipulation but criminal violence around the campaign — the 2024 cycle was the most violent on record, concentrated in local races.
How voting works today
- Voting age
- 18 and over
- Voter registration
- Voter-initiated
- Identification
- Photo ID required
- Compulsory voting
- No
- Postal voting
- Restricted
- Early voting
- Not available
- Online voting
- Not available
- Voting from abroad
- Restricted
Voters must enrol with the INE and present the free INE photo credential to vote. Citizens abroad can vote by post for president and some state offices.
How the franchise changed
Every entry records a change in who could vote, or how — expansions, restrictions and procedural reforms alike.
- 1953Expansion
Women gain the right to vote in federal elections, first exercised in 1955.
- 1996Reform
Reforms make the Federal Electoral Institute (IFE) fully autonomous from the government.
- 2014Reform
The INE replaces the IFE, taking over organization of both federal and many local elections.
Safeguards on the count
- Ballot type
- Paper ballots
- Post-election audit
- Mandatory recount
- Election administration
- Independent commission
- Domestic observers
- Yes
- International observers
- Yes
District councils recount all ballots in a constituency where the margin is one percentage point or less, and wherever tally inconsistencies appear; the electoral court (TEPJF) can order further recounts.
Worth knowing
- ACLED recorded over 330 violent incidents targeting political figures during the 2024 federal campaign — the most violent Mexican election cycle in its records, with at least 95 fatal attacks.Five key takeaways from the 2024 elections in Mexico
Elections in the database
Elections
1People
- Head of stateClaudia SheinbaumPresident of Mexico since 2024
- CandidateXóchitl GálvezSenator and opposition presidential candidate, 2024
Sources
- Cómputos distritales 2024 — presidencia, resultados nacionales— Instituto Nacional Electoral (INE)
- Five key takeaways from the 2024 elections in Mexico— ACLED