Former Mexican president encourages voters living in Arizona to participate in Mexico election

PHOENIX — Mexican citizens living in Arizona will get a chance to elect the next president of Mexico, and a former president from that country wants to ensure they participate.

“We came here to call our paisanos (fellow citizens) to raise their voice, to participate and to vote in the Mexican election,” former President of Mexico Vicente Fox said while speaking at an event hosted by Chicanos Por La Causa in Phoenix on Monday.

The Mexican government allows its citizens to vote from abroad. They can register by visiting a Mexican consulate office.

Nearly 55,000 Mexican citizens have processed voting credentials in Arizona since 2016, according to the Mexican consulate. That’s just a small fraction of the total number of Mexican citizens living in Arizona.

Latinos make up about 32% of Arizona’s population, according to the latest U.S. Census data. The vast majority are either from Mexico or are of Mexican descent.

For Fox, these numbers represent a large pool of potential voters for Mexico’s 2024 presidential election.

“You just have to be a citizen of Mexico, and you just have to register,” he said.

Fox added that Mexico’s elections are important for Arizona, given the close connection of the two regions.

Mexico is Arizona’s largest trade partner. Last year, Arizona exports to Mexico were up 7%, totaling $8.7 billion and reaching their highest level since 2015.

At Monday’s event held at El Portal Mexican restaurant, Fox also expressed his opposition to President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who can’t run for reelection since Mexican presidents are limited to a single six-year term.

Fox criticized Obrador, saying he hasn’t done enough to fight the cartels and improve Mexico’s economy.

Critics of the former president disagreed and defended Obrador. They protested outside the event while Fox was speaking.

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