Election Board Frustrated in Recruitment of Officials

(Tecpan, JG 17 November) According to the State Board of Elections, only 30% of those tapped to be polling officials have agreed to work in the upcoming elections. The reason appears to be the climate of insecurity in this region of the state between Acapulco and Zihuatanejo. Fears of violence has caused nearly 70% of those chosen as poll workers to decline the offer, according to Francisco Jacinto Hernández, head of the fourth electoral district of Guerrero. A second reason given was mistrust of the candidates pursuing public office; that is, anxieties that party zealots will stuff or steal the ballot boxes and intimidate voters as they wait in line.

Poll workers are selected at random from the list of registered voters. An additional reason given for the low acceptance rate was that the voter lists are not up to date, and several of those selected had either died or moved away since the lists were compiled. The municipalities making up the fourth electoral district have been especially affected by shootouts between drug groups, including one recently in the zócalo of Tecpan, where one person was killed and several wounded. Atoyac and Benito Juárez are also part of the fourth district.