One of the excuses we hear from Congress as they continue to put off the admission of Puerto Rico as a state is that Puerto Ricans don’t have complete consensus on status choice. We have had a clear majority in favor of statehood throughout this century, as shown not only in numerous polls, but more importantly as part of the democratic process of voting. Puerto Rico voters have chosen statehood in four status votes: 2012, 2017, 2020, and 2024. There is disagreement, but as Pedro Pierluisi said, “That’s how democracy works.” In a democracy, all citizens have the freedom to disagree — with one another and with their government.
Another excuse we hear from Congress for their failure to resolve Puerto Rico’s political status is that Puerto Rico voters won’t vote the way they want them to. Some Republicans have claimed that Puerto Rico will vote for the Democratic Party, so they won’t support statehood. Yet Puerto Rico regularly elects Republicans as well as Democrats to the positions of governor and resident commissioner, the top two elected positions in the territory. And there are Republicans in Congress who support statehood, just as there are Democrats in Congress who do not. Puerto Rican voters in the states have voted for both Republican and Democratic presidential candidates, and those living on the Island would presumably do the same.
The freedom to disagree
The freedom to disagree is an important part of democracy. “Difference of opinion leads to inquiry, and inquiry to the truth,” as Founding Father Thomas Jefferson put it. In the United States, citizens have not only the right to disagree, but also the freedom of speech to express those disagreements. Our current political climate looks extremely polarized between the parties and even within the parties, though research suggests that we may not be as politically polarized as we think. Strong differences of opinion can have advantages — including the ability to bring about change — as well as disadvantages like less bipartisan cooperation.
But democracy always involves the freedom to disagree not only through free speech in public and private, but also by means of democratic expression: voting for representatives who will argue for sincerely-held beliefs in their daily work in the government.
Does Puerto Rico have this freedom?
Puerto Rico can vote in presidential primaries, but cannot vote at all in the presidential election. With no electors, Puerto Rico has no voice in the Electoral College.
Puerto Rico has just one representative in the U.S. Congress: the resident commissioner, who does not have the power to vote on the floor of the House. There are no senators for Puerto Rico, and the resident commissioner must represent all three million residents of there Island. The average congressional district contains just 700,000 people, and each state has two senators. The math is clear: Puerto Rico does not have the same power in the American democracy that any of the states have.
As a state, Puerto Rico will have not only the freedom to disagree, but also the power to do so in a meaningful way. This is a basic right for citizens. This lack is the reason that the struggle for statehood is a struggle for civil rights. Tell your legislators that you support statehood for Puerto Rico and you want them to do the same.
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