Americans voting from Mexico share a concern ahead of the midterms: the future of democracy

Lee el artículo en español

On the shores of Lake Chapala, in the Mexican state of Jalisco, lies one of the country’s most popular communities for American retirees.

Between 8,000 and 10,000 foreign residents live in the lakeside town of Ajijic, and US politics remains part of everyday conversations, especially as the November 3 midterm elections approach.

James Burns is one of those retired expats. Six years ago, he left Arizona to settle in this community, drawn by the warmth of its people. He says many Americans living here have already cast their ballots remotely, aware of what’s at stake.

On November 3, all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 of the Senate’s 100 seats will be contested in elections that could change the balance of power in Washington.

Regardless of who wins, what worries Burns is what may happen afterward, in a country he sees as increasingly polarized.

“What comes next? We’ve seen how the situation in the United States has deteriorated, and frankly, we’re concerned that there could be violence, as well as about the safety of our family and friends,” he told CNN.

From Mexico, thousands of Americans are closely following the issues on the ballot, including trade and tariffs, as well as the tightening of immigration measures and operations by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

These issues have divided Americans of all ages, at home and abroad.

In Mexico City, 45-year-old Samuel McCree watches the political tensions gripping his country with worry and believes that defending its democratic institutions is more important than ever.

“For a long time, we have taken our democracy for granted. That is why I believe that now, more than ever, we must support and protect it,” he told CNN.

McCree settled in the Mexican capital after leaving Salt Lake City, Utah, two years ago.

He grew up in a politically active family. His mother, Peg, is a member of the League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan civic organization founded in 1920, the same year the US ratified a constitutional amendment recognizing women’s right to vote.

That family influence shaped McCree, who believes it is essential to continue participating in his country’s political decisions, even from abroad.

Back in Ajijic, Burns says that while most expats like him prioritize the importance of voting, casting a ballot from Mexico can be complicated.

Voters have to follow procedures that vary depending on the US state where they’re registered. That is why organizations such as Vote From Abroad have helped Americans in the region update their registrations, request their ballots and understand the requirements for returning them correctly.

“They helped us make sure our voter registration was up to date and explained how to obtain our ballot and what we had to do to comply with each state’s small and peculiar election rules so that our votes would be counted,” Burns said.

Another obstacle to voting remotely is the postal service.

In Mexico City, McCree says sending a package to the US can be expensive and difficult, in part because Mexico’s postal service can be “somewhat unreliable.”

To avoid possible delays, McCree gave his ballot to a friend who visited him in Mexico so they would take it to the US and mail it in.

“I really wanted to make sure my ballot arrived on time so that my vote would be counted. And for me, as an American, it is very important to continue participating in the United States political process,” he told CNN.

Pope Leo XIV has submitted a mail-in ballot for the US midterms, becoming the first pope to vote in a US election and likely the first to vote in a secular democratic election. CNN's Chris Lamb reports.

Despite such efforts, voter turnout among Americans living outside their country remains historically low, particularly in midterm elections.

In 2022 there were approximately 91,000 voting-age US citizens residing in Mexico, according to the Federal Voting Assistance Program of the US Department of Defense, but only an estimated 3.1% of eligible voters participated in the midterms that year.

Adding to the logistical difficulties is a legal controversy that has raised new concerns about the rules for voting from abroad.

The Trump administration has changed part of the federal form that citizens use to vote from another country, removing the option that allowed them to identify as US citizens who have never resided in the United States. That category includes people born abroad to US citizens who may have the right to vote under the laws of certain states.

The Democratic National Committee has filed a lawsuit against the Defense Department and the Office of Management and Budget over the change, arguing that it could make it harder for voters to register and request ballots.

Although the controversy affects a specific group of voters, it is unfolding amid a broader debate over access to the ballot and election rules.

It is an issue that concerns Bradley Narduzzi, who has been voting from Mexico for two decades and says he has never before felt so much uncertainty about the process.

“There has never been a situation where you have to worry about your vote. This is the first time in my life — I’m in my 50s — that I’ve been worried about my vote. It’s alarming,” Narduzzi warns.

Political polarization, questions about election rules and the debate over election integrity have contributed to distrust among some segments of the US electorate.

Although Narduzzi says he still trusts his country’s electoral system, he acknowledges that not everyone shares that confidence.

As a visual artist, Narduzzi travels frequently to Texas, where he says he has noticed people becoming more cautious, even when expressing their opinions.

“But it’s alarming. And many people are watching what’s happening. They are very careful about what they do, what they say and what they write,” he says with concern.

Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images/File

ICE reviewed tens of millions of voter records looking for noncitizen voters, records show

Immigration is another issue that, according to Narduzzi, has contributed to this climate of tension. Deportation policies, border control measures and the role of immigration authorities have dominated part of the US political debate, and are also spilling over into private conversations.

“We have a major immigration problem. So that is also a cause for concern. And yes, I think we all know that we are going through a tense moment. We live in tense times,” he says.

请阅读西班牙语文章

在墨西哥哈利斯科州查帕拉湖畔，坐落着该国最受美国退休人员欢迎的社区之一。

大约有 8000 到 10000 名外国居民居住在湖畔小镇阿希希克，美国政治仍然是当地居民日常谈话的一部分，尤其是在 11 月 3 日中期选举临近之际。

詹姆斯·伯恩斯就是这些退休侨民之一。六年前，他被这里人们的热情好客所吸引，离开亚利桑那州来到这里定居。他说，许多居住在这里的美国人已经远程投出了选票，因为他们深知此次选举的重要性。

11月3日，众议院全部435个席位和参议院100个席位中的35个席位将进行选举，这些选举可能会改变华盛顿的权力平衡。

无论谁获胜，伯恩斯担心的是之后会发生什么，在他看来，这个国家正变得越来越两极分化。

“接下来会发生什么？我们已经看到美国的局势是如何恶化的，坦白说，我们担心可能会发生暴力事件，也担心我们家人和朋友的安全，”他告诉 CNN。

成千上万的墨西哥裔美国人正密切关注着选票上的各项议题，包括贸易和关税，以及美国移民和海关执法局 (ICE) 收紧移民措施和行动。

这些问题在美国国内和国外都造成了各个年龄段美国人的分歧。

在墨西哥城，45岁的塞缪尔·麦克里忧心忡忡地关注着席卷全国的政治紧张局势，他认为捍卫民主制度比以往任何时候都更加重要。

“长期以来，我们一直把民主视为理所当然。正因如此，我认为现在我们比以往任何时候都更需要支持和保护民主，”他告诉CNN。

两年前离开犹他州盐湖城后，麦克里定居在了墨西哥首都。

他成长在一个政治氛围浓厚的家庭。他的母亲佩格是妇女选民联盟的成员，该联盟是一个成立于1920年的无党派公民组织，同年美国批准了一项宪法修正案，承认妇女的投票权。

麦克里深受家庭影响，他认为即使身处国外，继续参与国家的政治决策也至关重要。

回到阿希希克后，伯恩斯表示，虽然像他这样的大多数外籍人士都非常重视投票，但在墨西哥投票可能很复杂。

选民必须遵循因注册所在州而异的投票程序。因此，像“海外投票”（Vote From Abroad）这样的组织一直在帮助该地区的美国公民更新他们的选民登记信息、申请选票并了解正确寄回选票的要求。

伯恩斯说：“他们帮助我们确保选民登记信息是最新的，并解释了如何获得选票，以及我们必须遵守各州细小而特殊的选举规则，以便我们的选票能够被计入。”

远程投票的另一个障碍是邮政服务。

麦克里表示，在墨西哥城，向美国寄送包裹可能既昂贵又困难，部分原因是墨西哥的邮政服务“有点不可靠”。

为了避免可能的延误，麦克里将他的选票交给了一位到墨西哥探望他的朋友，以便他们能将选票带到美国并邮寄出去。

“我真的很想确保我的选票能及时送达，这样我的选票才能被计入。对我来说，作为一个美国人，继续参与美国的政治进程非常重要，”他告诉CNN。

教宗利奥十四世已提交美国中期选举的邮寄选票，成为首位在美国选举中投票的教宗，也可能是首位在世俗民主选举中投票的教宗。CNN记者克里斯·兰姆报道。

尽管做出了这些努力，但居住在国外的美国人的投票率仍然处于历史低位，尤其是在中期选举中。

根据美国国防部联邦投票援助计划的数据，2022 年约有 91,000 名达到投票年龄的美国公民居住在墨西哥，但当年只有约 3.1% 的合格选民参加了中期选举。

除了后勤方面的困难之外，一场法律争议也引发了人们对海外投票规则的新担忧。

特朗普政府修改了部分联邦表格，这些表格供公民在国外投票时使用，其中取消了允许他们表明自己是从未在美国居住过的美国公民的选项。这一类别包括出生在国外、父母是美国公民，但根据某些州的法律可能拥有投票权的人。

民主党全国委员会就此变更对国防部和管理与预算办公室提起诉讼，认为此举可能会使选民更难登记和申请选票。

尽管这场争议影响的是特定选民群体，但它却是在一场关于投票权和选举规则的更广泛辩论中展开的。

这个问题令布拉德利·纳杜齐感到担忧，他已经在墨西哥投票二十年了，他说他以前从未对选举过程感到如此不确定。

“以前从来没有过需要担心投票的情况。这是我50多岁以来第一次担心自己的投票。这令人担忧，”纳杜齐警告说。

政治两极分化、对选举规则的质疑以及对选举公正性的争论，都加剧了美国部分选民的不信任感。

尽管纳杜齐表示他仍然信任本国的选举制度，但他承认并非所有人都有这种信心。

作为一名视觉艺术家，纳杜齐经常前往德克萨斯州，他说他注意到那里的人们变得更加谨慎，即使在表达自己的观点时也是如此。

“但这令人担忧。很多人都在关注事态发展。他们对自己言行举止都非常谨慎，”他担忧地说。

Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images/文件

记录显示，美国移民及海关执法局（ICE）审查了数千万份选民记录，以寻找非公民选民。

纳杜齐认为，移民问题是加剧这种紧张局势的另一个因素。驱逐出境政策、边境管制措施以及移民当局的角色一直是美国政治辩论的焦点，并且也蔓延到了私人谈话中。

“我们面临着严重的移民问题。这也是令人担忧的原因之一。是的，我想我们都知道，我们正处于一个紧张的时期。我们生活在一个充满紧张的时代，”他说。