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 News from Around the Americas | July 2006 
Polling Places Set Up for Mexican Election
 Norma De La Vega - Union-Tribune
| Rene Lozano, left, and Julio Moreno wait for public buses in front of a poster for Mexican presidential candidate Felipe Calderon of the National Action Party (PAN) in Mexico City Saturday. (AP)
Tijuana voting sites
There will be 20 casillas especiales in Tijuana. Among the locations:
Boulevard Abelardo L. Rodriguez, Mesa de Otay (at the airport).
Avenida Tijuana, Fraccionamiento Tecnológico de Tijuana (at the Instituto Tecnológico Regional de Tijuana).
Calzada Lázaro Cárdenas, Los Arenales (Central bus station).
Boulevard Industrial 1100, Fraccionamiento Garita de Otay (Telégrafos office).
Calle Independencia 101, Fraccionamiento Soler (Femco store)
Avenida Miguel F. Martínez 1100, at Calle Quinta, downtown (Tacos La Chuleta). |
Immigrants living in the United States who plan to return to Mexican border cities to vote in the presidential election tomorrow will find more special polling places available than in 2000.
The polling sites, called casillas especiales, are set up for voters who find themselves away from their hometowns for a variety of reasons.
Six years ago, the ballots ran out before midday at several of these sites in Tijuana, frustrating voters, some of whom had traveled from as far as Los Angeles County to cast ballots.
This year, Mexico's election agency, the Federal Electoral Institute, plans to open 20 special sites in Tijuana, five more than in 2000. Each will have 750 ballots.
Those 15,000 ballots also may be used by citizens from elsewhere in Mexico in transit through Tijuana, a situation common in the border city. Thus the special sites will be busy.
An organization in Los Angeles, the Red de Migrantes, or Migrants' Network, plans to bus about 400 people to Tijuana early tomorrow morning so they can vote, said one of its leaders, Armando García.
He said the group preferred to cast ballots at these sites rather than by mail, an option available for the first time this year, because they will be able to vote for members of Mexico's Congress as well as for president.
A spokesman for the electoral institute said those with a voting credential who didn't register to vote by mail will be able to vote at the special sites.
If they requested a ballot by mail and did not return it, however, they will not be allowed to vote at the special sites.
Polls open at 8 a.m and close at 6 p.m. The location of the special polling places can be found on electoral institute's Web site, www.ife.org.mx.
Results of the election will be posted at that site starting at 9 p.m. Given the tightness of the race, final results might not be known until Monday or later.
Only Mexicans with an electoral credential, which includes a photo, will be allowed to vote. They can call a toll-free number, (877) 343-3639, to check if they will be able to vote and for other election-related questions or complaints.
Norma de la Vega: (619) 293-1386; norma.delavega@enlacelink.com |
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