Mexican Electoral Authority Approves $1.84 Billion Budget for 2027 Elections

Mexico's National Electoral Institute (INE) has approved a draft budget of 31.43 billion pesos (approximately $1.84 billion) for the 2027 electoral process. This figure includes the public financing allocated to national political parties and independent candidates for the upcoming federal elections.

The approved budget will be submitted to President Claudia Sheinbaum for inclusion in the 2027 Federal Expenditure Budget. This decision comes after Sheinbaum publicly described an earlier, larger budget proposal from the INE's Temporary Budget Commission as "exaggerated." That initial draft had contemplated 36.11 billion pesos ($2.11 billion), representing an increase of about 15 billion pesos ($878 million) compared to the cost of the 2024 election.

The INE also set the public financing for political forces and independent candidacies for 2027 at 10.84 billion pesos (around $635 million). This allocation is based on Article 41 of the Mexican Constitution, which ensures that national political parties have the resources for their activities and prioritizes public funding over private sources for electoral campaigns.

Additionally, the electoral body approved a precautionary budget of 4.73 billion pesos ($277 million) for the potential organization of a popular consultation and a recall referendum in 2027. The INE stated that the overall budget covers essential activities such as verifying citizen support, electoral training, establishing polling stations, producing and distributing materials, public outreach, conducting the election day, and counting results. The Federal Electoral Process for 2026-2027 is scheduled to begin on September 10 and conclude with the election day on June 6, 2027, when federal deputies, 17 state governors, and numerous local positions will be elected.