FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — Voting has begun for Mexicans living in the Central Valley in Mexico's presidential election, as the country is on the brink of electing its first female president.
This year marks the first time that Mexican citizens can vote in person in a presidential election outside of Mexico.
The Mexican Consulate at Ingram and Alviar streets in northeast Fresno said more than 1,000 people were in line.
At least 1,000 voters lined up in the northeast city of Fresno to cast their ballots in an election that could see Mexico elect its first female president.
Mexicans living abroad can vote online, by mail or in person. If you are not registered to vote, about 1,500 ballots will be available to anyone with a current ID who is not registered to vote by February 25.
According to Mexico's National Electoral Commission (INE), the number of voters abroad is estimated to have risen from around 32,000 in the 2006 presidential election to more than 200,000 this year.
The election is widely seen as a referendum on President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, a populist who has expanded social programs but has done little to curb Mexico's drug cartel violence. His Morena party currently holds 23 of the country's 32 state governorships and a majority in both houses of Congress. Mexico's constitution bars the president from running for reelection.
The front-runners, representing some of the country's better-known parties, are Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum and former senator Xochitl Gálvez.
Claudia Scheinbaum (left) is currently leading Xochitl Gálvez in Mexico's presidential election, as the country looks set to elect its first female president.
Scheinbaum, who is leading the campaign as the Morena party's candidate, has promised to continue all of Lopez Obrador's policies, including universal pensions for the elderly and apprenticeship programs for young people.
Galvez, whose father is an indigenous Otomi, rose from selling snacks on the streets of his impoverished hometown to start his own technology company. The candidate for the main opposition coalition, he resigned from the senate last year to vent his anger at President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's “hugs, not bullets” policy, which seeks to avoid a confrontation with drug cartels. He has vowed to go after criminals more aggressively.
Polls are scheduled to close at 6pm on Sunday, except for the consulate in northeast Fresno, which closes at 5pm. The first preliminary partial results are expected to be released by 9pm, after the last polling places in various time zones close.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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