As Mexico prepares to hold presidential elections, Mexicans in the Bay Area will have the chance to vote in a historic election on Sunday.
The election is expected to see Mexico elect its first female president and will also be the first time Mexicans living abroad will be able to vote in a presidential election.
It brought mixed emotions for some voters.
Voter Magali Suarez said she wasn't sure if the country was ready for a female president.
Another voter, Salvador Sanchez, said he was excited to vote but also felt it was his duty as a Mexican.
Voters can choose to vote in person at the Mexican Consulate in San Jose or online if they register in advance.
Leading the polls is Claudia Sheinbaum of the ruling Morena party, a former head of Mexico City's government who also studied physics and energy engineering at the University of California, Berkeley.
Her opponent, former Mexican Senator Xochitl Gálvez, represents a coalition of the National Action Party, the Institutional Revolutionary Party and the Democratic Revolutionary Party.
Evergreen political science professor Andres Quintero said Sunday's election will have major implications on both sides of the border regardless of who is elected.
Quintero said U.S. political and economic leaders should pay attention on Election Day.
“Those who aren't paying attention are neglecting their responsibility to do the right thing for our country by ensuring that our neighbors are healthy democracies,” he said.
NBC News reported that 34 Mexican presidential candidates have been killed ahead of the election, some of them likely with ties to drug cartels.
In addition to voting for president, voters also have the right to vote in nine state gubernatorial elections.