The INE will have 20 thousand fewer trainers heading into the judicial election

Fabiola Martinez

La Jornada Newspaper
Sunday, December 15, 2024, p. 4

Faced with the cut to the budget of the National Electoral Institute (INE), the alternative to compensate for the impact will be a new model of vote receiving centers, going from 172 thousand to 80 thousand for the extraordinary election of judges, as well as the reduction of 50 one thousand to 30 thousand electoral trainers and supervisors (Caes).

In the original project outlined by the INE, the cost of hiring said personnel would be 4.5 billion pesos, but with the change it could be lowered to 2 billion.

The Caes are the core of the electoral organization; They travel throughout the national territory in search of citizens who, after the corresponding training, will be potential polling station officials.

Although reducing them is progress, it is not enough, which is why the directors and directors of the INE are looking for other ways to compensate for the decrease.

Norma de la Cruz, a member of the temporary commission to organize the election, ruled out reducing their salaries; On the contrary, he said, they will be increased to reach the range of 15 and 17,500 pesos per month, since the uncompetitive salary made the task greatly difficult in the past process.

“If we consider that there are a little more than 50 thousand training and supervisor positions, we are talking about what it will cost us a little more than 4.5 billion; Therefore, the request of 13,205 million to organize the process is not a whim, almost 40 percent would go to said salaries. Faced with a new budget, much lower than we expected, a new projection is being made.

If instead of hiring more than 50 thousand people we do it with voting centers (grouping several polling stations in one place, but without it being such a remote point for voters), we can reduce it to 30 thousand, which means a saving of approximately 2.5 billionhe explained in an interview.

The cut is the highest in the history of the INE (established in 2014), formerly the Federal Electoral Institute.

The body requested a general fund of 40,476 million pesos, which included 7,354 million pesos of untouchable prerogatives for the six national political parties; 13 thousand 255 million base budget For the operation of the INE, most of it goes to payroll and updating the electoral roll (including the issuance of voting credentials), and 2,040 for specific projects.

Likewise, 13,205 million for the judicial election, and 4,620 million for an eventual popular consultation, which will not be done.

In the end, the Chamber of Deputies cut 13,476 million, leaving the available purse at 27 billion; As was said, of that last amount, just over 7 thousand are untouchable (party financing).

In this context, said counselor Martín Faz, there would be only 4.349 million left for the judicial election, that is, only 33 percent of what was budgeted would be available.

For now, after the General Council determined that there will be no vote for Mexicans abroad, it is expected that this election will not be offered to people in preventive detention either, there will only be early voting for people in prostration and their caregivers.

Also in a race against time, the councilors are analyzing the sketches for the ballots for the six judge elections, which will mean the printing of more than 600 million voting papers, plus electoral documentation, such as minutes.