Puerto Rico to vote on statehood status for fifth time Sunday

Puerto Ricans will vote in a referendum on Sunday to establish their intentions to remain a commonwealth, attempt to become a U.S. state or seek sovereignty.Photo by Arturo de La Barrera/Wikimedia Commons

June 10 (UPI) — Voters in Puerto Rico will head to the polls on Sunday to assess their views on whether the island will remain a commonwealth, become a U.S. state or seek sovereignty.

If Puerto Rico, facing a decade-long recession, votes for the second time in five years to become a U.S. state, its government will then be required to lobby U.S. Congress to pass a statute officially admitting it as the 51st U.S. state. Members of Congress, however, are not mandated to act on the symbolic vote.

Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens that can move freely within the United States and send a non-voting delegate to U.S. Congress, but they do not pay many federal taxes and can’t vote for president.

Puerto Rico, as a non-incorporated territory of the United States has its own constitution, set of laws and elected officials but the U.S. government can override its laws and other local decisions.

Sunday’s vote will be the fifth referendum on Puerto Rico’s status, with the margin of voters favoring statehood increasing steadily with each vote — from 39 percent in 1967 to more than 46 percent in 1998 to 61 percent in 2012.

In November, two pro-statehood candidates were elected to office, including Democratic governor Ricardo Rossello and Jenniffer Gonzalez, the Republican resident commissioner who is Puerto Rico’s only representative in Congress.

The 2012 vote for statehood didn’t result in any change in the island’s status, but Rossello said he will work to fulfill the results of this year’s vote.

“My commitment is when we have the vote, we will use our resources with the government to move forward,” he told CNBC this week.

If Puerto Rico again opts for statehood, Congress is not required to act. Republican leaders, including President Donald Trump, have expressed disinterest in offering the island what they call a bailout by awarding it statehood.

Rossello denied Puerto Rico seeks such help and said statehood would help improve its financial situation by placing it on equal ground with other U.S. states.

“We wouldn’t want a bailout. I’m no fan of bailouts. I think we need to assume responsibility for what’s going on here,” he said.

Gonzalez said Sunday’s vote will be the first statehood referendum where the U.S. Justice Department has defined the choices on the ballot as part of an agreement that originally promised $2.5 million to Puerto Rico toward the cost of the vote.

The department rejected the funds after suggesting several changes and although the changes were made, Puerto Rico paid the full $7 million cost of the vote on its own.

“This is not about the money; this is more than that,” Gonzalez said. “So keep the money. Let us express ourselves. And that is what we are going to have on Sunday.”

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here