The cost of justice: is it worth it?
Imagine this: you are at the table at home, doing the math to make ends meet. Now add a bill of more than 6 billion pesos. This is how the cost of the judicial election that the INE projects for 2028 is outlined.
Yes, you read that right. Almost the same as we spent on the first election of judges in 2025, which took 7 billion from the budget. But be careful, because if we combine this judicial party with the midterm elections of 2027, the price shoots up to about 15 billion.
Councilor Rita Bell made it clear: “Joining both elections is not a saving, it is a logistical headache”. And there is no lack of reason. Imagine attending federal, local and judicial votes at the same time. It’s like trying to juggle three lit torches.
In 2025, with just 12% citizen participation, each vote was very expensive compared to other elections. And the Chamber of Deputies had already cut the budget requested from the INE.
The drama behind the number
Here we are not just talking about cold numbers. Every peso spent on ballot boxes and ballots could have gone to schools, hospitals or security. But something bigger is also at stake: the legitimacy of the judicial system.
INE advisors continue to analyze financial and logistical scenarios to decide if this process is viable or if we need to rethink how we choose those who administer justice.
“In politics, every decision has real consequences”, my father told me. And today, looking at these numbers, I can’t help but wonder: are we investing our money well? The answer is not easy, but it deserves to be debated.
