ABSTRACT
How do we know what Mexican rural citizens think about politics? Several different research perspectives provide important insights, but no single approach combines the diversity of the many ongoing trends with reliable nationwide indicators of rural political views. The degree to which the Chiapas rebellion surprised most political analysts should lead to great caution when drawing firm conclusions based on a linear extrapolation of the tip of the rural political iceberg that is visible at any point in time. 1 Rather than focus on the many reactions to the government's rural policy reforms, however, this essay will concentrate on one key dimension of rural citizens' capacity to express their political views: access to a guaranteed secret ballot. The right to a secret ballot is a necessary condition for political democracy. The secret ballot is not a sufficient condition for democratic voting, but without it all the other conditions could be ineffective. This paper will analyze data on the secret ballot, pressure of voters, and the presence of opposition political parties in rural areas. Until the electoral process is free and fair in rural areas, it will be difficult to know what campesino political views are.
