Mike Alvarez’s observations on the Mexican election, and how it is covered in the United States, brought to mind this recent article from the Oregonian on absentee voting among expatriate Mexicans living in the United States.

The story focuses on the problems faced by Mexicans (who primarily live in small towns and rural areas) in registering as an absentee voter.

At least in this story, immigrant activists speculate that the government may have intentionally made it difficult for expatriates to vote. The reason, they suggest, is that these Mexicans, who have chosen to come to the US for higher wages, are more cognizant of the economic problems in their homeland.

I haven’t seen much data that compares the attitudes of Mexican citizens living in the US with those who remain in Mexico, but I can imagine just the opposite happening–as Mexicans in the United States are exposed to our more conservative and capitalist culture, they would be more supportive of Fox’s conservative party than the neo-socialist alternative.