By The Star Staff
Puerto Rico State Elections Commission (SEC) Alternate Chairwoman Jessika Padilla Rivera rejected late last week a motion filed by New Progressive Party Electoral Commissioner Aníbal Vega Borges in which he recommended that the sending of early voting ballots for the general elections on Nov. 5 be done by regular mail, not certified mail.
Padilla Rivera said her decision, which was included in a resolution shared with the electoral commissioners, puts an end to the disagreement among them regarding the issue.
“Guided by the prerogatives and protections that must safeguard the sacred right to vote, we are forced to conclude that certified mail promotes greater security in the delivery of that ballot, which at some point along the way, the SEC and the voter do not have control over,” the document states, emphasizing the need to maintain the security of voting processes.
Resolution CEE-RS-24-014 (CEE being the Spanish initials for the SEC), as issued, also addresses six other disagreements among the electoral commissioners, including the one related to the minimum age to request early voting, allowing that voting modality for all voters over 60 years of age. In addition, the Regulations for Absentee Voting and Early Voting were approved, as well as the Request for Early Voting, as resolved in the document that will soon be available to the general public through the SEC website, www.ceepur.org.
The electoral commissioners from opposition parties objected to Vega Borges’ proposal to have early voting ballots sent by regular mail. The Popular Democratic Party, Puerto Rican Independence Party, Citizen Victory Movement and Dignity Project commissioners concurred that the proposal would compromise the transparency of the voting process.
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