But, at least one Murray man mailed in his ballot weeks ago - almost a year after he had started the voting process.

Many people said they went online months ago to learn about how they could vote for Mexico's next leader, but they ended up with more questions than answers.

Some attempted to register but missed deadlines for this week's election - the first in Mexico's history in which Mexicans living in the United States could vote by absentee ballot.

There was a "lack of information, a lack of communication," said Sylvia Haro, a 31-year U.S. resident who lives in Taylorsville.

Haro, who helped organize a Mexican community meeting when Mexican President Vicente Fox visited Utah in May, said she gave up trying to figure out the registration system.

According to the The Arizona Republic, Mexican officials spent $24 million setting up the mail-in system.

The Web site for the Federal Electoral Institute said 54,800 Mexicans living abroad applied to participate in Sunday's election, but only 40,854 - or 75 percent - were eligible to vote.

Murray resident Erik Contreras, a 47-year-old business owner, won't say whom he voted for, but he's certain his ballot was counted.

He first applied for a voter-registration card when he visited Mexico last summer. Earlier this year, Contreras applied for a ballot at the Mexican Consulate Office in Salt Lake City. He got it in May and quickly returned it.

Contreras said voting was important because he still has family in Mexico, and living in the United States has shown him how a democracy can work for people who often are ignored.

"Everybody has a say in the United States - you can actually fight for what you have to say," he said. "That's what I'd also like to see in Mexico."

Rocio Mejia, of West Jordan, said she was excited about the new absentee ballot but found the process confusing. She said she and several friends didn't vote "because they don't trust the system." She said she requested information but never received it.

The confusion left her "angry and disappointed." She wanted to vote for Felipe Calderon, a member of the same political party as Fox.

"Hopefully, six years from now, the Mexico government will be more organized and different," she said, referring to the next presidential election.

jsanchez@sltrib.com