Social Class and Voter Preference in Recent Mexican Elections

The influence of social class on the decisions of Mexican voters is, according to recent literature, modest and irrelevant. In this paper I reassess the role of class in the presidential elections of 2000 and 2006. After discussing how social class should be conceptualized and measured in election surveys, I analyze exit poll data from these two elections. The results show that class is a potent force in Mexican elections and that the middle class, in particular, has played a critical role in the transformation of Mexican politics.