IPN and INE turn on the wheels of democracy

A total of 350 thousand indelible pigment applicators will be distributed throughout the country to mark citizens' thumbs on June 2.Enrique Soto*

Enrique Soto

The Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN) and the Instituto Nacional Electoral (INE) set the gears of democracy in motion during the delivery of the final batch of indelible ink, which consisted of 212,458 marker applicators, each containing 15 milliliters of liquid, to be used during the electoral process on June 2nd.

Thus, the Politécnico completed the total quantity of nearly 350,000 applicators that will be distributed nationwide to mark citizens' thumbs as they cast their votes to determine Mexico's future.

Staff from the INE and the Production Plant of the indelible ink at the Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas (ENCB) verified the delivery of 2,230 boxes containing the indelible liquid from this second and final shipment, transporting it to the facilities of the democratic oversight body in Mexico.

These 212,458 applicators add to the 137,428 markers counted in the first delivery made by the Polytechnic to the National Electoral Institute last March.

The indelible liquid, created in 1994, has been used as an additional mechanism for security and transparency in elections not only in Mexico but also in Central American and Caribbean countries, and shortly, in nations on other continents, affirmed the director of the ENCB.

In turn, the Director of Electoral Statistics and Documentation of the INE highlighted the strategic alliance formed by the IPN, the ENCB, and the INE for the implementation of the indelible ink, representing one of the strongest links in the chain of trust in organizing elections.

During production, INE personnel conducted the quality assurance process for the indelible ink, which features special security locks and chemically reacts with skin cells to produce a coloration that cannot be erased and only fades over time as the epidermis sheds.

Gaceta Politécnica #1788. (April 30th, 2024). IPN Imagen Institucional: Read the full magazine in Spanish here.