Edible Voting Cheat Sheets Found in Cancún Election

Cancún, Quintana Roo — During the judicial elections in Cancún, authorities uncovered the use of “edible cheat sheets”—printed wafers listing candidate numbers—to instruct voters on how to cast their ballots before being consumed to eliminate evidence.

A New Tactic in Electoral Fraud

The edible ballots, resembling religious communion wafers, were distributed as a covert method to influence votes in the election of judges and magistrates. The practice aimed to manipulate the democratic process by directing voters toward specific candidates while ensuring no physical proof remained after ingestion.

Sources in Cancún confirmed the existence of these edible cheat sheets, marking what observers describe as an “evolution” in electoral fraud tactics. The wafers were designed to disappear after use, complicating efforts to trace voter coercion.

Judicial Positions at Stake

In the state judicial election, Quintana Roo voters were selecting candidates for 117 positions, including:

• 9 magistrates for the Superior Court of Justice (5 women, 4 men).
• 3 magistrates for the newly established Judicial Discipline Tribunal (2 women, 1 man).
• 105 judges for first-instance courts in criminal, civil, and family law (53 women, 52 men).

For federal judicial positions, voters were choosing 35 officials, such as:

• 9 justices for Mexico’s Supreme Court (5 women, 4 men).
• 5 magistrates for the Federal Judicial Discipline Tribunal (3 women, 2 men).
• 2 magistrates for the Superior Chamber of the Federal Electoral Court (1 woman, 1 man).
• 8 magistrates for appellate courts in Quintana Roo (4 women, 4 men).
• 8 district and specialized judges (4 women, 4 men).

Authorities Respond

Quintana Roo Governor Mara Lezama stated that no formal reports of edible cheat sheets had been filed but acknowledged the need for investigation. “We must verify if this is true. The electoral authorities must intervene in the 1,286 polling stations,” she said. “People should decide freely and voluntarily.”

Lezama emphasized the importance of ethical voting, stating, “What is right remains right, even if few do it, and what is wrong remains wrong, even if many do it.” She called the judicial election a historic opportunity for democratic participation.

Sergio Bernal Rojas, Executive Officer of Quintana Roo’s National Electoral Institute (INE) office, confirmed an investigation into the edible cheat sheets. The Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for Electoral Crimes will determine appropriate sanctions.

The incident highlights concerns over electoral integrity as Mexico conducts its first-ever judicial elections, with turnout reportedly low nationwide.