Mexico is preparing to hold its first-ever judicial elections, and concerns are gorwing over the criminal histories and affiliations of candidates on the ballot.

Among those seeking positions are individuals previously investigated for crimes ranging from organized crime to sexual abuse, and even an ex-convict who served time in a US prison for drug smuggling, says the New York Times.

The judicial elections, scheduled for Sunday, will decide 2,681 positions, including some on Mexico’s Supreme Court.

The reform was introduced last year by former President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and is supported by current President Claudia Sheinbaum. They argue that the shift from appointments to public elections will reduce corruption and make the system more accountable to voters.

However, critics, including legal experts, have warned that opening up the judiciary to electoral politics could compromise judicial independence and allow unqualified or compromised individuals to gain power.

Some also worry the process may increase the influence of organized crime in Mexico’s already-broken justice system.

At least four candidates have previously faced criminal investigations, according to letters obtained by The Times. These letters, sent in early May by the leaders of both congressional chambers—controlled by the ruling Morena party—asked electoral officials to disqualify 18 candidates accused of failing to meet the constitutional requirement of a “good reputation.”

Among those on the ballot is Fernando Escamilla, a 32-year-old candidate for a state criminal judgeship in Nuevo Leon. He previously provided legal services to Miguel Angel Treviño and Eleazar Medina-Rojas, two senior figures in the Zetas cartel.

Escamilla defends his work, stating he merely advised on extradition law and believes it would be “unfair” to disqualify him for practicing law.

“It’s like a doctor,” Escamilla said. “When patients arrive at the emergency room, the doctor doesn’t ask what they do for a living before deciding whether to treat them, they just do.”

Other candidates have more serious criminal pasts. Leopoldo Javier Chávez Vargas was arrested in 2015 in Texas for attempting to smuggle meth into the US He served nearly six years in prison and is now seeking a federal judgeship in Durango.

“I don’t deny my past,” he said. “I have fully accepted the consequences.”

Another candidate, Jesus Humberto Padilla Briones, was arrested in 2023 with meth and an illegal firearm.

Mexico’s electoral agency, the National Electoral Institute (INE), does not have the authority to disqualify candidates before the vote.

Under current rules, it can only investigate and remove candidates after Election Day if the winner is found to have a disqualifying background, such as a criminal record or a history of domestic violence.

Supporters of the reform acknowledge that problematic candidates slipped through the vetting process but maintain that the issues are limited in scope. “Every process is perfectible,” President Sheinbaum said last month. “We’re talking about a tiny, minuscule percentage of all the candidates.”

Yet some within the Morena party have openly admitted flaws. “We missed some cases,” said Senate President Gerardo Fernandez Noroña. “They should not participate.”

While defenders argue the process allows citizens more control, watchdog groups say the screening was rushed and incomplete. “It seems like they didn’t even Google some of these candidates,” said Miguel Alfonso Meza, director of Defensorxs.

More than 7,000 people are competing in these elections, a major shift from Mexico’s traditional system of judicial appointments based on merit and internal evaluation.