SEATTLE – Hundreds were turned away at the Mexican consulate in Seattle on Sunday, with some waiting hours to cast their ballots in Mexico’s 2024 presidential election.
The consulate, located at E Roy St. and Harvard Ave. E, was flooded with Mexican voters expressing frustration over the botched voting process.
Several people in line told FOX 13 they got there early in the morning, but had made virtually no progress by the afternoon.
The polls officially closed at 5:30 PM on Sunday, with the two main presidential candidates in attendance Claudia Sheinbaum and Xóchitl Gálvez. Some are calling this election the largest in Mexico’s history, with more than 20,000 local and federal seats up for grabs.
As the election came to a close, we saw hundreds of people chanting outside the Seattle consulate, demanding that they be given the opportunity to vote in the election. Seattle police closed nearby streets as the building closed its doors, turning away the hundreds of people who never entered.
Seattle’s process was largely delayed due to underestimated voter turnout, as some said there were only four voting machines in place. A spokesperson for the consulate said Sunday “went as planned” as they expected only a smaller group of people who had registered in advance to vote.
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