Quintana Roo Workers Claim Forced Voting in Judicial Polls

Cancún, Quintana Roo — Unionized public employees of the Quintana Roo state government have reported being forced to participate in a mass mobilization and to vote for specific candidates in the “2025 Judicial Elections,” officially designated as the Extraordinary Federal Electoral Process 2024-2025. Sources, who requested anonymity for fear of losing their jobs, have described the situation as a “state-controlled election.”

According to testimonies gathered by Diario CAMBIO 22, workers were summoned to meetings at their workplaces on Friday, where they were allegedly informed that voting was mandatory. They were also provided with “cheat sheets” containing explicit instructions on which candidates to support.

These documents listed the names of candidates for various positions within the Federal Judiciary. Additionally, employees were reportedly required to bring five people each to polling stations on Sunday, June 1—a demand they called unprecedented.

“I don’t agree with what they’re forcing us to do, but we can’t say no because we could lose our jobs,” one source stated.

The complainants confirmed that the “cheat sheets” for federal positions had already been distributed. However, they expected to receive additional instructions on Saturday regarding candidates for the Quintana Roo State Judiciary, allegedly favoring those aligned with the MORENA party.

“They told us to stay alert for further instructions on where and from whom to collect our ‘cheat sheets,'” a source revealed.

Among the names listed for Supreme Court justices were incumbent ministers Lenia Batres Guadarrama, self-proclaimed “the people’s minister”; Yasmín Esquivel Sosa; and Loretta Ortiz Ahlf, who has been accused of being imposed by former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

Also included was Sara Irene Herrerías, a human rights prosecutor at the Attorney General’s Office (FGR), who has been linked to a 90% impunity rate in cases under her purview. Other candidates named were María Estela Ríos González, former legal advisor to the federal executive, and Hugo Aguilar Ortiz, current Coordinator of Indigenous Rights at the National Institute of Indigenous Peoples.

The closing of judicial election campaigns in several states was reportedly marked by widespread distribution of “cheat sheets” via social media, text messages, and physical copies in an effort to influence voting.

The following candidates were listed in the documents:

Supreme Court Justices (Purple)

03 Lenia Batres Guadarrama
08 Yasmin Esquivel Sosa
16 Sara Irene Herrerías Guerra
22 Loretta Ortiz Ahlf
26 María Estela Ríos González
34 Hugo Aguilar Ortiz
41 Irving Espinosa Betanzo
43 Giovanni Azael Figueroa Mejía
48 Arístides Rodrigo Guerrero García

Judicial Discipline Tribunal (Turquoise)

02 Eva Verónica de Gyves Zarate
04 Indira Isabel García Pérez
09 Celia Maya García
23 Bernardo Batiz Vázquez
31 Rufino H León Tovar

Superior Chamber of the Electoral Court (Blue)

06 Claudia Valle Aguilasocho
07 Gilberto de Guzmán Batiz García

Regional Chambers of the Electoral Court (Peach)

02 Eva Barrientos Zepeda
03 Rosalia Bustillo Marin
19 José Antonio Troncoso Ávila

Circuit Magistrates (Pink)

03 Lina Victoria Bolio Pasos
04 María del Rosario Cervantes García
06 Berenice Penélope Polanco Córdova
07 Judith Rodríguez Villanueva
21 Jorge Armando Hernández González
26 José Luis Orduña Aguilera
27 Aaron Humberto Pereira Lizama
33 Lenin Salvador Zenteno Ávila

District Judges (Yellow)

07 Landy Rosalia Pamplona Pérez
08 María José Pech Sáenz
10 Gloria Luz Reyes Rojo
13 Eugenia Maritza Valencia Hernández
14 Javier Aguirre Farfan
17 Ciro Carrera Santiago
18 Jesymar Castillo Arangute
35 Dario Alejandro Villa Arnaiz