There are many misconceptions about Puerto Rico. Some people believe that Puerto Rico is a separate country from the United States and that a passport is required for entry.
Others believe that Spanish would no longer be welcome in Puerto Rico if it transitioned to statehood – despite the fact that Spanish is frequently spoken in many states.
One of the most common misbeliefs is that the people of Puerto Rico have never voted for statehood.
In fact, Puerto Rico has voted for statehood in four referendum votes since 2012.
The Plebiscites
There have been four plebiscites – also known as referenda or status votes – in Puerto Rico in the 21st century: in 2012, 2017, 2020, and 2024.
- In 2012, 61% of voters chose statehood.
- In 2017, 97% chose statehood.
- In 2020, 53% chose statehood.
- In 2024, 57% chose statehood.
In 2018, in the aftermath of the 2017 vote, a commission including former governors traveled to Washington and officially requested admission as a state on behalf of Puerto Rican voters.
Similarly, in 2021, on the heels of the 2020 vote, Resident Commissioner Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon (R), Puerto Rico’s sole voice in Congress, introduced a bill to admit Puerto Rico as a state.
The 2024 vote swept Gonzalez-Colon into Puerto Rico’s governorship, where she continued to build the case for statehood and equality, while Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) made the moral case for statehood to his congressional colleagues.
The Importance of U.S. Citizenship
Puerto Ricans treasure their U.S. citizenship. As a 2011 White House report observed, Puerto Ricans “value their US citizenship enormously,” and a loss of U.S. citizenship would “be viewed with hostility by the vast majority of Puerto Ricans.”
Although U.S. citizenship is Constitutionally guaranteed to Puerto Ricans only under statehood, there is a widely held misperception that current U.S. citizens born in Puerto Rico can count on maintaining their U.S. citizenship no matter what the future holds.
This over-promise may have artificially inflated support for for two options in the plebiscite votes: (1) independence – either with or without a military free association component, and (2) “Commonwealth,” a fantastical mix of independence with state-based benefits. Yet even with the inflated support and misinformation, it is statehood that has emerged as the most popular options in plebiscites.
U.S. Justice Department Asserts Constitutional Citizenship Possible Only Under Statehood
So Why is Puerto Rico not a State?
As we have seen, many people believe that a territory can become a state just by voting to become one.
But Congress must admit states. Under the U.S. Constitution, it is up to Congress to form new states. A plebiscite is a vote may be taken to get a sense of what the people want, but it is not binding on Congress, and, at least for now, Congress has not chosen to respond to the expressed will of the people of Puerto Rico.
Updated on January 16, 2025 to reflect 2024 plebiscite results and related developments.
