The U.S. Flag with 51 Stars
Puerto Rico has voted to become the 51st state of the Union. Congress, however, will have the final say on Puerto Rican statehood, giving residents of the… Read More »The U.S. Flag with 51 Stars
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Pierluisi Speaks at the Democratic Convention
Puerto Rico’s Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi (D) addressed the Democratic Convention last night, urging the nation’s 50 million Hispanics to vote for President Obama.Read More »Pierluisi Speaks at the Democratic Convention
A Bipartisan Call for Equal Rights and Responsibilities in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico’s Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi ended his remarks at the Democratic National Convention last night with the assurance that President Obama “will stand with” Puerto Ricans “the day they choose to have the same rights and responsibilities as their fellow American citizens.”
Imbedded in this statement is the recognition that not all U.S. citizens have equal rights and responsibilities today. Most do, but not all. The most prominent exception is that of American citizens who live in a territory.Read More »A Bipartisan Call for Equal Rights and Responsibilities in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico at the 2012 Conventions
Governor Fortuno spoke at the Republican National Convention last week, Luce Vela Fortuno introduced Ann Romney and Resident Commissioner Pierluisi will be speaking tonight at the Democratic National Convention. (See it live on CSPAN at approximately 6:16 pm EST).Read More »Puerto Rico at the 2012 Conventions
Democratic Party Platform Highlights Need to Address Puerto Rico’s Status as a Territory
The Democratic Party platform released on Monday calls the political status of Puerto Rico “an issue of overwhelming importance” and commits to resolving it “expeditiously.”
The platform begins by recognizing President Obama’s visit to Puerto Rico – the first President to do so in fifty years. It also highlights the “strong political, economic, social and cultural ties” between Puerto Rico and the rest of the United States.Read More »Democratic Party Platform Highlights Need to Address Puerto Rico’s Status as a Territory
Puerto Rico in the Republican Party Platform
The 2012 Republican Party platform begins its section on Puerto Rico and the other territories by honoring “the extraordinary sacrifices of the men and women of the territories who protect our freedom through their service in the U.S. Armed Forces.” Read More »Puerto Rico in the Republican Party Platform
Puerto Rico at the Republican Convention
Puerto Rican Governor Luis Fortuño opened his remarks at the Republican National Convention last night with a welcome of “buenas noches” and ended with “muchas gracias.” In between, he explicitly told the convention delegates that in Puerto Rico “[l]ike in your home states, we raise and salute the American flag,” and described freedom as “the essence of who we are as Americans.”Read More »Puerto Rico at the Republican Convention
Fortuño and Vela at the Republican Convention
Puerto Rico’s first lady Luce Vela Fortuño introduced Ann Romney at the Republican Convention in Tampa last night, first highlighting Governor Luis Fortuño’s “success story of fiscal responsibility.. and compassionate attention to a social and faith-based agenda of unprecedented reach and consequence.”Read More »Fortuño and Vela at the Republican Convention
When a U.S. Citizen Cannot Vote for President
If Puerto Ricans choose statehood in their upcoming plebiscite, they could gain a Constitutional right they have never before experienced and one that has divided for decades U.S. citizens living in a state and those living in Puerto Rico: the right to vote.
Despite being U.S. citizens, Puerto Ricans have never had the right to vote because Article II of the United States Constitution grants the states, not the people, the ability to select the president. Citizens vote indirectly for the president by voting for state electors. Because Puerto Rico is a territory and not a state, Puerto Rico, and by extension its residents, cannot participate in the election of the president. Read More »When a U.S. Citizen Cannot Vote for President