On July in Puebla we had elections for governor, in which we had the first independent candidate after the recent amendment to the law in Mexico, which now allow independent candidates to run for the first time, this means it is not necessary to be affiliated to a political party to be a candidate. Independent candidates are an interesting topic because they demonstrate a complete alternative to the parties and ideologies we know.

Mexico had its first independent governor in the state of Nuevo Leon on 2015, which proves that people in Mexico accept independent candidates as a good alternative. The requirement to register an independent candidate in Mexico is collecting signatures of 1% of the total electoral roll, which in some cases is very complicated because in large lists such as the presidency of the republic an independent must collect almost one million signatures to register.

History has shown us that many countries first presidents were independent candidates and political parties were consolidated years after its founding.

The importance of voting is crucial in any democratic country; it is the only way to achieve a change in our governments and its structures. United States is going through an electoral process to define President very soon, and in any democracy it is important to vote for the best proposal we consider could carry out the tasks and improvements required by the country. It is important to get involved in these processes of choice as they are very important for the future of a country, we cannot simply be indifferent to an election without knowing what candidates offer. It is our duty as citizens of a democracy to get involved in the proposals of the candidates, the team that supports each of the candidates and evaluate which is the best option for the country’s development, as well as the right candidate to take up a post of such importance.

The right to vote is the cornerstone of democracy and is a right for which historically many fought and cost many lives to be obtained, it is important to exercise it, to use our vote in any democratic country we belong.