President Claudia Sheinbaum presented her electoral reform proposal on February 25, 2026, aiming to eliminate plurinominal lists in the Senate and cut election costs by 25 percent. The initiative, to be sent to Congress on March 2, keeps 500 deputies but requires all to compete for direct votes. INE counselors warn that changes like eliminating permanent district boards represent a 45-year regression.
President Claudia Sheinbaum outlined the 10 main points of her electoral reform in her morning conference on February 25, 2026, structured around four axes: Congress integration, cost reduction, oversight, and participatory democracy. The proposal eliminates proportional representation lists in the Senate, reducing from 128 to 96 senators: 64 by relative majority and 32 by first minority. In the Chamber of Deputies, 500 seats are maintained, with 300 elected by relative majority and 200 by proportional representation, but without party lists; candidates must compete in the field to secure votes, prioritizing those with the best results in their parties even if they do not win districts.
Sheinbaum emphasized: “Everyone must seek the popular vote, there will be no more lists. We do not want party elites to remain as deputies or senators without the popular vote”. This measure would affect current senators like Adán Augusto López, Gerardo Fernández Noroña, and Lilly Téllez, selected via plurinominal lists from Morena, PT, and PAN.
Other changes include a 25 percent cut in the budget for the INE, political parties, and local bodies, capping electoral counselors' salaries at the president's level. The Preliminary Electoral Results Program (PREP) is eliminated, starting district counts immediately after the election for quick results. The reform regulates artificial intelligence use, bans bots in campaigns, and strengthens financial oversight, prohibiting cash contributions.
It also expands participatory democracy with referendums and consultations in states and municipalities, eases voting for Mexicans abroad, and reinstates constitutional bans on nepotism and consecutive re-election from 2030.
Governance Secretary Rosa Icela Rodríguez applauded the initiative: “The people take the destiny of Mexico into their hands”. However, INE counselors like Jaime Rivera and Dania Ravel criticized the elimination of the 300 permanent district boards, arguing it would revert to temporary committees from the 1980s, risking impartiality and expertise. Ravel stated: “It puts at risk the impartiality with which the electoral authority must act”.
Sheinbaum indicated the reform will be presented with or without support from allies like PT and PVEM, prioritizing promise fulfillment. Morena leader Ricardo Monreal confirmed submission on March 2 after final reviews.
