Lawmakers push for rapid removal of deceased voters from registry.

Rep. Swanny Enit Vargas Laureano

By THE STAR STAFF

Rep. Swanny Enit Vargas Laureano of the Popular Democratic Party announced the filing of House Bill 1287, a measure she introduced along with Dignity Project Rep. Lisie Burgos Muñiz to establish a mandatory and continuous system that guarantees the removal of deceased individuals from the voter registry within a maximum of 25 days.

The legislators said the bill will be an effective tool for quickly cleaning up the voter registry and strengthening the reliability of the electoral process.

Vargas emphasized that the legislation creates a formal protocol between the Demographic Registry and the State Elections Commission (SEC), requiring district registrars to submit death information monthly within the first 15 days of each month, while the SEC would have an additional 10 days to process the removals. The measure also requires semiannual reports to the Legislative Assembly and mandates that the Puerto Rico Innovation and Technology Service (PRITS) ensure a swift and secure exchange of information under strict cybersecurity parameters.

It was further emphasized that the bill is in response to allegations regarding thousands of deceased individuals who remained on voter registration lists during the 2024 elections. Vargas and Burgos, both elected at-large, assert, based on journalistic analysis, that some 6,000 deceased individuals were still listed on the voter registry less than 24 hours after the last election. Vargas said the situation underscores the urgent need to adopt a permanent, uniform and auditable mechanism for purging the voter registry.

Although current law allows for the sharing of death information, there is no clear procedure or defined timeframe to ensure the accuracy of the voter registry, the legislators noted.

“House Bill 1287 fills this operational gap and replicates the model that requires notifying the Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTOP) of deaths in order to cancel licenses and license plates,” they said. “The same logic of automatic updates should be applied to the voter registry to guarantee accuracy and transparency.”

Vargas said the measure should take effect immediately to ensure continuous purging before the next elections. The bill is expected to be referred to the House Government Committee for review.