FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — Long lines, hot weather and a shortage of ballots were problems at the Mexican Consulate in Fresno during the country's historic presidential election.
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It was the first time that Mexican citizens outside of Mexico were able to vote in person for a presidential election, but they could also vote online or by mail.
“I was here in the morning, I came back and the line wasn't over,” voter Nayamin Martinez said.
Mexico is on the brink of electing its first female president, with the front-runners representing the country's better-known parties being former Mexico City mayor Claudia Sheinbaum and former senator Xochitl Gálvez.
The Mexican Consulate in Fresno said more than 1,000 people were in line hoping to vote by Sunday afternoon.
When the Mexican Consulate in Fresno closed at 5 p.m., many voters who had been waiting in line for hours were turned away.
“Around 5:10 p.m., the poll workers came out and said about 600 people had voted but they were closing the polls,” Martinez alleged.
Similar incidents of Mexican citizens being unable to vote occurred in other parts of the US, including Los Angeles and Chicago.
“In some areas, including Madrid, California, Chicago and Phoenix, the influx of people wishing to vote at consulate headquarters exceeded expectations,” Mexico's electoral commission said in a statement to The Associated Press.
Martinez added that methods such as online voting make it harder for older Mexican voters to cast their ballots.
“We just realized that's not possible,” Martinez said.
Mexico's electoral authorities have already begun announcing the results of the country's historic election, although the first provisional partial results are not expected to be released for at least several hours.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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