Expensive Elections

Citing a study from Cide, Leo Zuckermann says that at $17, the cost of elections per voter in Mexico's 2003 elections was roughly 50 times the cost in Brazil, and 17 times the Latin American average. The per-voter price in Mexico has since increased to more than $26. However, Mexico has a long way to go before it reaches American spending levels, i.e. roughly $40 per voter in 2008. Of course, that's also a product of greater voluntary donations, whereas Mexico's elections are financed with public money.