Sheinbaum to Submit Electoral Reform Next Week

Claudia Sheinbaum’s upcoming electoral reform proposal aims to reduce election costs, adjust proportional representation, and expand citizen participation, addressing structural inefficiencies in Mexico’s congressional system. The reform comes amid one of the country’s most expensive electoral cycles, with the 2024 elections costing an estimated MX$60.45 billion (US$3.5 billion), including funding for electoral authorities, judicial bodies, and political parties, highlighting high per-vote costs compared with other democracies. Key stakeholders affected include national and local parties, INE, allied political coalitions, and voters, with potential implications for legislative efficiency, political pluralism, and electoral oversight.

Claudia Sheinbaum will present an electoral reform proposal next week aimed at reducing the cost of elections in Mexico, revising the proportional representation system and strengthening mechanisms for citizen participation. The reform includes changes to the current proportional representation system, a measure that has generated disagreements with allied parties of MORENA, including the Green Party (PVEM) and the Laboral Party (PT). 

The proposal seeks to modify the existing system of party-controlled candidate lists, which are typically determined by party leadership, and instead allow citizens to play a direct role in selecting representatives. "It is said that multi-member lists are not like fairy tales, that it is not always the party leadership that participates and it is the parties themselves that are elected, but in any case proportional representation is also elected by the people," said Sheinbaum.

The initiative also aims to ensure political representation in Mexico for citizens living abroad and to strengthen participatory democracy. Sheinbaum said these elements form the core of the reform package, which is scheduled to be presented next week.

The president met on Feb.16 at the National Palace with members of the Presidential Commission for Electoral Reform, who delivered the draft initiative to be submitted to Congress. Attendees included Minister of the Interior Rosa Icela Rodríguez, Presidential Public Policy Coordinator Arturo Zaldívar, and MORENA’s Congressional Leader Ricardo Monreal.

Sheinbaum tasked the commission, led by Pablo Gómez Álvarez, with preparing the proposal to overhaul Mexico’s electoral system. The initiative was initially expected to be submitted to the legislature in early February but was delayed following disagreements between MORENA and its allied parties.

Claudia Sheinbaum’s Electoral Reform

Mexico’s current electoral reform debate dates back to 2022, when López Obrador proposed sweeping changes to the country’s political system. His initiative aimed to replace the National Electoral Institute, eliminate proportional representation deputies, reduce Congress to 300 deputies and 96 senators and introduce electronic voting, among other measures. The proposal failed in 2023 after it did not secure the required qualified majority in the Chamber of Deputies. López Obrador subsequently introduced alternative measures, known as “Plan B” and “Plan C,” but both initiatives were ultimately stalled.

Building on this agenda, Claudia Sheinbaum has introduced a new electoral reform initiative. The reform process has included 65 public hearings, 382 citizen proposals, and nationwide opinion surveys. These consultations examined several models for restructuring congressional representation. Options considered include a fully proportional 300-member lower chamber with open lists, a hybrid system combining 200 majority-elected deputies with 200 proportional representatives, a model maintaining 300 district-elected deputies while reducing proportional seats from 200 to 100 and the elimination of 32 national-list senators. All proposals aim to improve legislative efficiency while preserving political pluralism.

Beyond structural adjustments, the reform addresses 10 key areas: political freedoms, citizen representation, party systems, financing and oversight, electoral efficiency, political communication, the role of electoral authorities, electoral justice, eligibility and immunity and participatory democracy.

Last week, Monreal said that proportional representation seats will remain unchanged, resolving earlier disagreements with allied parties. PVEM and PT argued that reducing such seats could weaken minority representation and political competition. Both parties emphasized that key elements of the electoral system are constitutionally sensitive. Differences also extend to broader political dynamics, including candidate selection for the 2027 midterm elections. PVEM has indicated it may compete independently in some states while maintaining potential coalition agreements in others.

Opposition parties have also criticized the initiative. Leaders from the PRI and PAN argue that the reform could centralize political power and weaken institutional checks and balances. Critics warn that changes to representation and party financing may affect political pluralism and institutional autonomy.

Mexico’s 2024 Election Cost Estimated at MX$60.45 Billion

The scale of Mexico’s 2024 election spending has become a key factor in discussions about electoral reform. According to Laboratorio Electoral, the total cost of the electoral process was estimated at MX$60.45 billion (US$3.5 billion), covering federal and local electoral authorities, judicial bodies, and public financing for national and local political parties.

INE received MX$22.3 billion, while Local Public Electoral Organizations were allocated MX$13.7 billion to organize the elections. Electoral justice bodies spent MX$3.62 billion for the Federal Electoral Tribunal and MX$2.42 billion for local courts.

Public funding for political parties totaled MX$19.28 billion, with MORENA receiving the largest share. Laboratorio Electoral estimated that, assuming full turnout, the cost of legally guaranteeing and validating each vote was approximately MX$609.89. In practice, this amount is lower, as voter turnout in 2018 was nearly 56%, with almost 44% of eligible citizens abstaining from the vote.

Mexico’s 2024 electoral process makes it one of the most expensive elections globally relative to its electorate size. By comparison, major democracies spend less per voter. The United States spent approximately US$14 billion in the 2020 federal elections, around US$44 per voter; Canada’s 2019 federal election cost roughly US$450 million, about US$30 per voter; and the United Kingdom’s 2019 general election cost around US$300 million, translating to US$5–6 per voter.