The majority block of the Superior Chamber of the Electoral Tribunal of the Judiciary of the Federation (TEPJF) rejected nine appeals against the design of the ballots for the judicial elections on June 1. In particular, the ballots from the states of Morelos and Aguascalientes were validated, which according to Magistrate Janine Otálora Malassis, could induce errors in voting and the involuntary annulment of votes.
"This situation creates a latent risk that individuals fill in all the voting boxes with perfectly valid options, but which lead to the nullification of votes due to having cast a greater number of votes than allowed," explained the magistrate. In these states, more voting boxes than necessary could be marked, which would complicate the counting of votes and undermine the constitutional principles of certainty and legal security.
Despite this situation, a reprint of the ballots was not requested, and the magistrate proposed that the INE issue precise criteria to avoid confusion and ensure certainty in the electoral process. Although Magistrate Reyes Rodríguez joined this proposal, the majority block, led by President Magistrate Mónica Soto, dismissed the appeals and supported the design of the electoral ballots as is.
In light of this decision, a call was made for the INE to issue additional criteria that clearly and detailed regulate how voting should be cast in these specific cases from the states of Morelos and Aguascalientes.
