Mexico’s Cámara de Diputados approved a federal budget of 10.64 trillion pesos early Wednesday, shifting 6 billion pesos away from the Instituto Nacional Electoral (INE) as it prepares for the June 2027 midterms. Half of that money will go to La Escuela Es Nuestra, a program that puts public school repair money in the hands of local school committees.
The final vote was 352–130, with no abstentions. The Chamber sent the spending decree to the federal executive for publication. The plan calls for 1.3% more spending than in 2026 after inflation and projects a deficit of about 1.36 trillion pesos.
Where the 6 billion pesos went
The budget committee moved the money in two rounds before the final vote. The biggest share went to La Escuela Es Nuestra, where committees made up mainly of parents decide what their schools need. That can mean fixing classrooms or improving water and electrical service. The federal government says the program has sent more than 23 billion pesos to over 73,000 school communities so far this year.
What the INE says about June
The INE had drawn up a budget of about 47 billion pesos, including public funding for political parties and a reserve for a possible public consultation or recall vote. The federal spending proposal that reached deputies put the institute at about 42.27 billion pesos. The Chamber’s cut brings that down to about 36.27 billion. President Claudia Sheinbaum said Wednesday she considers that enough to run the elections.
On June 6, voters will choose all 500 members of the Cámara de Diputados. Seventeen states will also elect governors. The INE was planning for more than 176,000 polling stations as of October. Asked Tuesday whether the cut would mean fewer places to vote, interim INE president Blanca Cruz García said the institute would keep the usual setup, with at least one polling station in each electoral section.
That question came up because the INE used about 84,000 voting stations for Mexico’s first federal judicial election in 2025, after a budget cut forced it to group voters at fewer sites. A constitutional reform moved the next judicial vote to June 2028, though the INE has budgeted to start preparations in 2027.
INE councilor Carla Humphrey said the agency would review its projects once it was formally notified of the budget. Some could start the year with no funding and go ahead later if the institute finds savings. She didn’t name which projects might be put off.
Vallarta Daily asked the INE whether it expects changes to staffing, election-night results or preparations for the 2028 judicial vote, and when it will release a breakdown of the cuts. The INE had not yet responded Wednesday. The first drawing to select residents who could be called to staff the June polls is scheduled for Feb. 5.