All states in the United States enter on an equal footing: that is, they all get the same treatment under the law. This is in the United States Constitution. The Constitution doesn’t say that territories are equal to states, though. That means that Congress can — and does — treat Puerto Rico differently from the states. Puerto Rico receives fewer benefits than it would as a state. Congress imposed a financial oversight board that can overrule local laws. And — the most important thing — Puerto Rico does not have equal representation in the federal government.
What’s unequal about Puerto Rico’s representation?
Everything, actually. First, residents of Puerto Rico can’t vote in U.S. presidential elections. U.S. citizens living abroad can vote in these elections, but U.S. citizens living in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico cannot.
Puerto Rico’s voters can vote in the primaries for the national parties, but the Island has no electors and so cannot participate in the Electoral College. That means that U.S. citizens living in Puerto Rico, including veterans, can’t vote for their Commander in Chief and chief executive.
Second, Puerto Rico has no senators. Every state, big or small, has two. Puerto Rico has none. Decisions made in the Senate have no elected officials from Puerto Rico speaking up for the Island.
The House of Representatives is the other branch of the legislature. In the House, Puerto Rico has one representative, called the resident commissioner. This person can serve on committees, introduce bills, and speak to the other members. But the resident commissioner cannot vote on laws. In some years, they may have a symbolic vote, but they can never actually make any difference to the outcome of the vote. As a state, Puerto Rico would have about four voting Members of the House.
When Congress votes on whether or not Puerto Rico should be admitted to the Union as a state, no elected officials from Puerto Rico will be able to vote on the question.
Does equal representation really matter?
Academic studies have shown that, as the Washington Post puts it, “presidents tend to reward states and counties that vote for them, states and counties that they’re hoping will vote for them, and crucial congressional allies.” While the President of the United States is supposed to be above partisan politics and serving all Americans, in real life, people who don’t vote in presidential elections don’t have as much influence as those who do.
As for the House and Senate, the job of the legislators is to represent the people of their state. One example of how this can work is the case of Arecibo compared with the telescope in Green Bank, West Virginia.
The telescope in Green Bank collapsed, and the state’s senators were able to get federal funding for its repair. Arecibo, while arguably more important than Green Bank, had no senators to fight for it, so it did not receive federal funding for its repair. Incidents like this happen every day. Puerto Rico’s resident commissioner stands up for the Island, of course, and other members of Congress sometimes do, too, but it is not the same as having six voting members with primary concern for Puerto Rico.
That’s what Puerto Rico would have as a state.
What’s the solution?
As a territory, Puerto Rico cannot ever have equal representation in the federal government. As an independent nation, with or without a Compact of Free Association, Puerto Rico would have no representation at all in the federal government, which is appropriate for a foreign country. The only way for Puerto Rico to have full representation in the federal government and thus full participation in American democracy is to become a state.
Tell your legislators that you want them to be on the right side of history. Puerto Rico will become a state, but there is no reason to delay admission any longer. We are ready for the rights and responsibilities of statehood now.
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