By The Star Staff
The Puerto Rico Republican Assembly is intensifying its push for statehood, aiming to secure the right for Puerto Ricans to vote in presidential elections, a fundamental democratic right that U.S. citizens on the island have long been denied, according to a letter Monday.
The letter comes amid the fallout from Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally Sunday evening at which a comedian described Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage” with just eight days left in the campaign (see related stories on pages 5 and 6, and on this page).
As of press time, Trump had yet to reject the comments publicly.
The assembly’s letter said that despite being U.S. citizens, residents of Puerto Rico are unable to vote for the U.S. president. Advocates of statehood argue that this injustice can only be remedied through full integration into the United States as the 51st state, which would grant American citizens living in Puerto Rico the same voting rights as citizens on the mainland.
“This push comes at a time when Democrats in states like Virginia and Alabama are advancing proposals to allow non-citizens to vote in local elections,” said the letter written by Al Santos, the GOP assembly’s executive director and co-chairman, and Miriam Ramírez de Ferrer, the group’s president. “The PR Republican Assembly calls attention to the Democrats’ contradiction in extending voting privileges to non-citizens while denying the right to vote in presidential elections to U.S. citizens living in Puerto Rico.”
“We find it unacceptable that while non-citizens are being considered for voting rights in certain states, U.S. citizens in Puerto Rico are disenfranchised in national elections,” the letter added. “Statehood is not just about equality; it’s about ensuring that U.S. citizens of Puerto Rico have the same voice in the democratic process as their fellow citizens across the 50 states.”
For the first time, Puerto Rico voters will have the opportunity to participate in a non-binding presidential vote in the upcoming U.S. election, casting their ballots for the candidates they believe should lead the nation.
“While the results will not count toward the official electoral college, this symbolic vote underscores the growing call for Puerto Rico to be granted statehood and full voting rights, including the right to vote in presidential elections,” the letter said.
In 2016, President Trump supported statehood for Puerto Rico. This past summer the proposal was removed from the party’s platform.
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