Election observers voice serious concerns about Mexico's contentious judicial elections

MEXICO CITY — Abysmal voter turnout, political polarization and voting ''cheat sheets'' were among the reasons an observation mission for Mexico's historic judicial elections on Friday issued a recommendation to other countries in the region: don't try this at home.

In their report, the electoral mission from the Organization of American States said the June 1 election was ''extremely complex'' and ''polarizing,'' and was marked by a ''widespread lack of awareness'' among voters about what they were voting for and who the thousands of candidates were.

Given the findings, the mission concluded that ''it does not recommend this model of judge selection be replicated in other countries in the region.''

In Sunday's vote, Mexicans elected 881 federal judges, including a new Supreme Court, and another 1,800 state judges as part of a complete overhaul of the judiciary. The process was carried out following a constitutional reform approved last year by a Congress with a ruling-party majority. The overhaul fueled protests and criticism within Mexico and by the U.S. and Canadian governments, which warned of a potential loss of judicial independence and the politicization of justice in Mexico.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and her mentor and architect of the overhaul, former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador claimed they want to root out corruption in the judiciary, which most Mexicans agree is broken.

Mexico's electoral authority said this week that voter turnout was 13%, significantly lower than the 60% turnout in last year's general elections.

In the Friday report, the OAS mission — led by former Chilean Foreign Minister Heraldo Muñoz Valenzuela — expressed concern over ''the low level of citizen participation'' and noted that ''this is one of the lowest turnout levels in the region.'' Observers also pointed to the ''high percentage'' of null and unmarked ballots, which exceeded 10%.

''It's necessary to carry out a comprehensive reflection on the nature of the (electoral) process and how it was conducted,'' the report concluded.

The OAS's 16-member observation mission also raised concerns about the nine candidates elected to join Mexico's Supreme Court who ''were promoted in physical and digital ‘cheat sheets.'" While parties were not allowed to advocate for candidates, pamphlets known as ''accordions'' guiding voters on which candidates to vote for were widely distributed.

Mexican electoral authorities investigated complaints against the ruling Morena party and other opposition groups that distributed the voter guides in communities across the capital and other cities in the weeks leading up to the vote. The agency also ordered that a website featuring a digital cheat sheet with Morena-aligned candidates for the Supreme Court and other top tribunals be taken down.

OAS observers also noted that six of the nine candidates elected to the high court had been nominated by the government controlled by Morena, and the remaining three were justices appointed by López Obrador, ''which raises reasonable doubts about the autonomy and independence of the highest court in relation to the Executive.''

Despite the criticism, Sheinbaum praised the election this week, calling it a success.