Thread: Voting for Mexican leaders:Mexico’s future could be a

http://www.dosmundos.com/editions/Vol25 ... ialeng.htm

Voting for Mexican leaders: Mexico’s future could be at stake

Undocumented Mexicans living in the United States have mostly focused on survival skills: finding jobs, housing, transportation, education for their children, basic freedoms, and a little time to enjoy living. But as time moves on, they are learning that through sheer numbers and economic clout, their powers are growing, in Mexico as well as the United States.


Soon, with time and education, they will begin to demand the freedom to make their voices count.


Recently, Mexican lawmakers gave U.S. Mexicans more freedom than even U.S. citizens have. They can earn the right to vote and make political choices here in America, and thanks to a new law in Mexico, they can continue to flex their political muscle in Mexico.


It is estimated that 10 million U.S. Mexicans have the potential to vote in Mexico’s elections. This accounts for about 17 percent of the Mexican voters; enough to sway an election. Mexican politicians will have to reach out to their constituents, not just in Mexico, but in America, where the results will be less predictable.


Many undocumented people come to America seeking the American dream. There is no such dream in Mexico due to corruption and ineffective governance. They figure they have better chances here. If with the hardships they endure in the United States, it’s still better than in Mexico.


The American dream is the one that many immigrants came to enjoy.
Many came through Ellis Island in New York City. Some immigrants came unwillingly on slave ships. Their ancestors bore the fruit of their extreme labors. One only has to look at the plight of Africa now to realize that African Americans who are born here, while they came here through unfortunate means, are enjoying a much better life. Their ancestors suffered for the betterment of their heirs, even though it meant losing their own freedom.


Many Latinos never migrated to America. They were already here when the borders crossed them. No American is prouder of their American citizenry than a Latino. They know the hardships Latin America. Hispanics have fought valiantly and died for America’s freedom in foreign wars. Latinos have earned a disproportionate number of Congressional Medal of Honor for their heroics in American wars.


As their numbers and influences grow, Mexican migrants in the United States are building the political muscle to demand a say in politics back home.


It’s only right that Mexicans get their voting rights. After all, the Mexicans in America voluntarily sent more than $10 billion home last year to their families. This input to Mexico’s economy runs second only to oil in Mexico’s sources of income.


Natives of Mexico who become U.S. citizens are not asked to surrender their Mexican passports. Since 1998, Mexico has permitted them to maintain their Mexican citizenship. However, Mexico has mandated that Mexicans vote within their borders, while Americans can vote by mail if they live abroad. Now Mexicans living in the exterior get the same privilege.


For 70 years, Mexico’s Institutional Revolutionary Party dominated politics. Migrants were reviled as traitors, and having the vote was only a dream. In 2000, when Vicente Fox became Mexico’s first president from an opposition party, migrants became fashionable. He called them heroes. Many are thriving businessmen and wage earners in the United States. Some are naturalized and vote in U.S. elections while keeping track of politics back home.


Many “bugs� still have to be hammered out between now and the presidential elections of 2006. For instance, only those who already have registration cards can vote. Those who were not registered in Mexico will have to register in Mexico unless the rules are changed.


Migrant voters, who are untouched by political forces in Mexico, can vote their hearts for a better life for those they left behind. Many migrants left their homes with hopes that they could someday return. Now they can work towards that Mexican dream.

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