The first time Mexican nationals living in the United States could vote in a Mexican election was in 2000, a historic vote that ended the 70-year reign of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, better known by its Spanish acronym, PRI.
By the next election in 2006, there was an improvement in the process: Mexicans could request an absentee ballot and vote by mail.
The improvements seem to have ended there. Come July 4, when Mexicans once again choose their commander in chief, the opportunity for those living abroad is severely limited.
"It is striking to me that, given the widely acknowledged obstacle last time, that so few improvements have been made to broaden accessibility to the process," said Jonathan Fox, professor of Latin American and Latino Studies at UC Santa Cruz. "It suggests that the government did not listen carefully to the advocates of greater flexibility for voting rights."
Only Mexicans with a voter ID card can request an absentee ballot. And because voter ID cards are only issued by the Federal Electoral Institute in Mexico, only those with the ability to travel to Mexico can get a card.
The deadline to request an absentee ballot is looming, on Jan. 15.
The voter ID card requirement was in place during the 2006 election, despite heavy lobbying by Mexicans in the United States to allow cards to be issued on this side of the border.
Voting rights advocates proposed using Mexican consulates to issue voting cards, much like they now issue consular cards and passports. However, Mexican laws prevent that from happening.
The Federal Electoral Institute "is autonomous and independent," said spokeswoman Ana Isabel Fuentes. "Even though we have a good relationship with the Foreign Relations Ministry that supports our promotional efforts, we're independent and respectful of each other's functions."
The institute was created more than 20 years ago to prevent the widespread fraud that marked the 1988 election, which many believe robbed the presidency from Cuauhtemoc C rdenas.
Since then, the PRI lost its grip in the country and the National Action Party, or PAN, rose to power. President Felipe Calderon and his predecessor Vicente Fox both belong to PAN.
Mexicans in the United States — one of the largest sources of income for Mexico — lobbied for years to earn the right to vote abroad. For them, it was a way to have a say in the internal affairs of their country, which many left because of corruption and lack of economic opportunities.
Absentee voting was approved in 2006, only to be severely limited in application.
"They're afraid of the sleeping giant we are," said Salvador Muñoz, an architect living in Salinas who is organizing an information session for would-be voters. "Given the amount of money they receive, it's obvious the giant is sleeping."
In 2006, of about 4.2 million registered Mexican voters estimated to be in the United States, only 56,000 asked for an absentee ballot and about 41,000 received the voting package. An estimated 33,000 actually voted — an 88 percent voter turnout.
"In international terms, as low as it sounds, for diaspora voting it is not so low, especially given that it was the first time," professor Fox said.
For the upcoming election, Fox said he believes the turnout will be similar.
"The total number of people who manage to successfully deal with the red tape is not likely to be much larger than 2006," he said.
Adding to the frustration is the upcoming deadline — six months ahead of the actual election, when not even all official candidates have been selected.
Only a handful of people showed up Saturday to an event organized in Salinas by Mexican voting rights activists.
In a room at the Teamsters building, four organizers sat around a plastic table, 100 priority mail envelopes stacked on a corner, four of them ready to be sent out.
"We should have gone to the flea market," said Marcos Cobian, only half joking.
"People don't usually carry their important documents with them," said Muñoz, one of the organizers.
By 6 p.m., two hours after organizers started signing up voters, a couple came in. Cruz Ramos, 43, born in Jalisco and a citizen of both the U.S. and Mexico, brought his voter registration card, and Cobian helped him fill out the necessary form.
Alma Mejia, his wife, wants to vote but couldn't find her voter card.
"I've turned everything upside down looking for it," she said.
Both said they wanted to vote so they could help their relatives back home.
"That's the country of my roots, and this is the country of my children," Ramos said.
While Fuentes said she understands the frustration of those who do not have a voter ID card, now is the time to make a push so those who do have it request an absentee ballot.
"We have a very strong push for those who have it and can vote," she said. "For now it's the people who have a credential and should vote."
Claudia Meléndez Salinas can be reached at 753-6755 or firstname.lastname@example.org.
To download an application for an absentee ballot for the Mexican election, see www.votoextranjero.mx/bienvenida/