It was muggy in Tijuana on Sunday morning when voters made history.
Every judge at every level in every court in Baja California — and most across Mexico — were on a ballot.
Surveys by the Mexican government estimate 13 million people turned out to vote. According to the International Foundation for Electoral Systems, Mexico has approximately 100 million voters and an average turnout of around 54%.
“The historic election of the Judiciary on June 1, 2025, was a resounding success,” said President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo in an election night message.
Last year, Sheinbaum's Morena party changed the constitution to establish judicial elections.
But the president of Mexico's opposition party, Partido Accion Nacional (PAN), called the election a fraud. On social media, Jorge Romero Herrera blasted Sheinbaum for low voter turnout.
Sheinbaum said while voter turnout was low, it was still significant, calling it "unprecedented. Impressive. Wonderful. Democratic.”
According to Pew Research Center, two-thirds of all Mexicans are in favor of electing judges by popular vote.
One of those supporters was Oscar Ocano, who comes from Mexico City but was in Tijuana for work. He says Mexican voters are ready to elect judges, to get a chance to “investigate by ourselves and get much more well-informed about the Mexican authorities, on the three different powers in Mexico, which are the executive power, the judicial power, and the legislative power.”
But there was also a vocal opposition. About 40 protesters stood in the middle of the busy roundabout Glorieta Cuauhtémoc on Sunday, telling Tijuanenses not to vote.
Marco Antonio Juarez said there is no way the average person can be educated enough to understand who to vote for.
“It's so hard. You can go to the voting place. And there is a long list. How can you vote for them? ... So it's just a show. It's a circus,” Juarez said.
Results will start coming in later this week, and winners will be sworn in on Sept. 1.
