Mexican voters are set to elect their first female president, a milestone accompanied by a surge of false and misogynistic online claims blurring fact and fiction. The two leading female candidates have faced demeaning attacks on their appearance, credentials, and leadership abilities.
Claudia Sheinbaum, the former Mexico City Mayor and the frontrunner, has faced slurs about her Jewish heritage and debunked claims that she was born in Hungary. Recently, a fake AI-generated audio clip falsely depicting Sheinbaum admitting her campaign was failing went viral in an apparent attempt to undermine her.
The misinformation targeting Mexican voters illustrates how the internet, social media, and AI are spreading false or hateful content, potentially affecting election outcomes. Manuel Alejandro Guerrero, a professor at Universidad Iberoamericana, notes that misinformation in Mexico stems from media distrust, cartel violence, and rising social media use coupled with low digital literacy, alongside political leaders who propagate disinformation.
Sheinbaum, a member of the Morena party led by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, faces opponents Xóchitl Gálvez and Jorge Álvarez Máynez. Attacks against Sheinbaum and Gálvez are often personal and gender-focused, according to Maria Calderon of the Mexico Institute, contrasting with the policy-focused misinformation against male candidates.
Calderon highlights that the sexism in these attacks is rooted in Mexico’s “machismo” culture and its strong Catholic influence, noting that women only gained the right to vote in 1953. López Obrador has also spread false claims about Gálvez, such as erroneously stating she supported cutting popular social programs, which continues to affect her campaign despite her efforts to correct the narrative.
AI deepfake videos have further complicated the situation, with scammers using Sheinbaum’s likeness in fraud schemes. In response, Sheinbaum has warned the public about these deepfakes.
Tech companies like Meta claim to be combating misinformation across languages, but have faced criticism for focusing primarily on English. The election has also been marred by violence, with criminal gangs targeting candidates and disrupting the election process, making it one of the most violent elections in Mexico’s history, according to Calderon.
