In the 2022 midterm elections, just 52% of Americans voted. That was better than usual; typically, only about 40% of us vote in midterms. Barely 60% vote in presidential elections. Local elections, such as those for mayors? 15-20%.
For a country that believes passionately in democracy, a lot of us don’t walk the walk even though we talk the talk.
This should help put the claims of low voter turnout for status plebiscites in Puerto Rico in perspective. The lowest ever — boycotted by the parties that knew they couldn’t win — was the 2017 vote, with 23% voter participation. Even that was noticeably higher than most stateside elections. Otherwise status votes have had more than 50% turnout.
Does turnout matter?
In American elections, it does not matter at all. If 10 people vote and 6 vote for one candidate, that candidate wins. On the other hand, if you wanted the other candidate to win, you would certainly wish that more than 4 supporters had shown up for your candidate.
When only 15% of voters show up, the voices of those voters are much more important than the voices of the other 85% of eligible voters. Ideally, in a democracy, everyone has a voice. Decisions about the lives of the people should not be made by a tiny minority of those people.
This is a primary reason that it is wrong that Puerto Rico has no voting members in Congress. No senators, no voting representative in the House. Decisions for the three million + U.S. citizens living in Puerto Rico are made by a small minority of the American people, none of whom lives in Puerto Rico. While there are Puerto Ricans in Congress, they have to pay more attention to the people who vote for them than they do to the people of Puerto Rico.
When you are one of the people who votes for your legislators, you have a voice in who is chosen. Bring your friends and family with you to vote, and you as a group have a louder voice.
You can also speak directly to your legislators and make sure they know what you, one of their constituents, really care about. If one of those things is statehood for Puerto Rico, you can make sure that they understand that.
Don’t miss Election Day!
November 3, 2026, is your last chance to exercise your precious right to vote. Remember all the people who struggled for that right, and don’t miss your shot.
No responses yet