Puerto Rico Granted the Right to Vote for U.S. President

Who would have thought the day would come when the people of Puerto Rico could vote for the President of the United States? Well, on June 1st they will come close to selecting the next U.S. President by determining who will become the Democratic nominee. They will deliver 63 delegates, of which 55 are pledged and 8 are unpledged super-delegates. Realizing that Clinton and Obama were running a competitive race, Puerto Rico recently switched (in March 2008) from holding a caucus to a primary thus propelling the island to play a significant role. This switch puts pressure for the candidates to campaign on the island and to encourage more citizens to participate.

Since Puerto Rico has always been at the end of the table during the primaries they never get to experience the voting process related to politics outside the island. Typically a presidential nominee is determined shortly after “Super Tuesday” therefore discouraging Puerto Ricans to go the polls or caucus. Due to the complicated split delegate and super-delegate process and overlooking Florida and Michigan, Democrats have created this historic opportunity for Puerto Ricans to get involved during a Presidential Election year…..but that’s where it ends.

This is the opportunity for Puerto Rico to showcase their political power while at the same time educating the nation the role and status they play in American history. The “foreign citizen” phrase Representative Ginny Brown-Waite used during the tax rebate (stimulus package) debate was an eye-opener for everyone. Personally, I have been asked several times my position on immigration because I am a Hispanic thus somehow assuming that my family or I experienced the immigration process. On the other side I have been told that I am not Hispanic enough because I am automatically a U.S. citizen. So for some people we are considered foreigners and for others we are considered U.S. citizens and for some like Brown-Waite we are both.

So where do Puerto Ricans really stand? As long as it remains a territory of the U.S. they stand right in the middle. During the Olympics they march holding their own flag yet during a time of war, or not, they march holding the American flag. For the 4 million Puerto Ricans living on the island they contribute to Social Security and Medicare but not Federal taxes (unless they are Federal employees) to possibly avoid the next Boston Tea Party. They receive benefits such as welfare, can enlist in the U.S. military yet can not vote for the U.S. Presidential Election in November and do not have a voice in Congress, just a sitting body (a Resident Commissioner). They even have their own functioning government similar to a state with an elected Governor and legislators.

In a way they have the best of both worlds yet some would argue that Puerto Rico is a burden on the U.S. economy or that it is being exploited like a colony or for additional manpower for the U.S. military. Whichever point of view any person recognizes, this election in June will definitely spark a few debates on the future status of Puerto Rico. With 63 delegates, Puerto Rico is a heavy-weight, filling a larger delegation at the Democratic convention in Denver than about half the states.

The issues affecting Puerto Rico has remained dormant since the United States began concentrating on Castro in Cuba. John F. Kennedy was the last President to visit Puerto Rico, and perhaps due to this recent hype the next President of the United States will want to schedule a trip to the island. This may open the doors to further discussion on the future status of Puerto Rico or perhaps discuss how to stimulate their economy after military bases were moved or downsized and after pharmaceutical companies downsized their operations which affected a quarter of the island's GDP.

The island’s economy is one major concern currently affecting the people of Puerto Rico, however the issues influencing the United States will hopefully propel their status to the forefront of American politics. That issue will be to strengthen Colombia with trade as its only reliant ally while Chavez amplifies his reign over Latin America. As a result Puerto Rico will be used once again….this time it will be called “the bridge to Latin America” instead of the “shinning star of the Caribbean.”

Written By: Angelette Aviles - Hispanic Vision Forum