Puerto Rico's election could make history in the statehood debate

Puerto Rico is set to hold a crucial election on Tuesday that could change the island's political landscape, regardless of which of the two leading candidates emerges victorious.

With a new challenger and the promise of unprecedented results, this year's race has captured the attention of voters and analysts alike and offers a glimpse into the changing dynamics of island politics.

At the head of the race is Jenniffer González, the candidate of the pro-state New Progressive Party (NPP).

Should González win, it would be the party's historic third consecutive term in office, consolidating its influence and potentially strengthening Puerto Rico's push to become America's 51st state.

The ballot shows Puerto Rican status and the symbolic US presidential election

For the seventh time, Puerto Ricans are being asked for their opinion on the island's political status. The non-binding referendum offers voters three options: statehood, independence or independence with free association, which would allow Puerto Rico to negotiate with the U.S. government on matters such as foreign affairs, U.S. citizenship and use of the U.S. dollar.

However, any change in Puerto Rico's status requires the approval of the US Congress, which is why this vote is largely symbolic for now.

Voters will also be offered the opportunity to take part in a symbolic presidential election. Although Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens, they are not allowed to vote in the U.S. presidential election, but the symbolic ballot allows them to show their support for Kamala Harris or Donald Trump, even though their votes do not count toward the actual U.S. presidential election.

Nearly two million voters are eligible to vote, but voter apathy has been a persistent problem in recent years, and many residents have become disillusioned with the slow pace of change and ongoing struggles with economic inequality and political corruption.

Who are the candidates in the Puerto Rico elections?

On the other side is Juan Dalmau, representing the Independence Party and the Citizens' Victory Movement, whose victory would go down in history as the first win by a candidate outside the two major parties that have long dominated Puerto Rican politics.

Behind González and Dalmau in the polls is Jesús Manuel Ortiz of the Popular Democratic Party (PDP), which advocates maintaining Puerto Rico's territorial status.

Rounding out the field is Javier Jiménez from Project Dignity, a conservative party founded just five years ago that has also gained increasing attention in recent elections.

For decades, the New Progressive Party and the Popular Democratic Party maintained an iron grip on the island's electoral system, with the two parties typically receiving over 90 percent of the vote.

However, the political tide has changed since 2016, as younger and more diverse parties – reflecting growing dissatisfaction with the traditional political establishment – ​​have gained prominence in the wake of economic challenges and political instability.

The 2024 election results are expected to be delayed

“There has been a big change in Puerto Rican politics,” said Jorge Schmidt Nieto, a political analyst and professor. “The dominance of the New Progressive Party and the Popular Democratic Party is being challenged in a way we have not seen in decades.”

Despite heavy rain and flash flood warnings in San Juan and other parts of the island in recent days, turnout remained stable.

Polling stations opened in the morning and early reports suggested hundreds were already in line.

However, it is to be expected that the results of the election will be delayed. Experts say it could take several days before the final results are announced.

In the 2020 election, the Puerto Rico state election commission took four days to release preliminary results, and analysts expect similar delays this time.

On Monday, the commission was still processing more than 220,000 early and mail-in ballots, a count that was delayed due to logistical problems.

Jessika Padilla said around 40 percent of the early votes had been counted by the beginning of the week.

“We will not take this validation process lightly,” she said, emphasizing the importance of counting accuracy.

Are elections in Puerto Rico straightforward?

More than 5,000 prison inmates – out of about 7,400 incarcerated people – also cast ballots, although it remains unclear how many of those ballots were processed.

In addition, several parties have raised concerns about irregularities, including allegations that some voters received early voting confirmations that they never requested.

The State Election Commission has also deployed emergency generators at more than two dozen polling stations to ensure the process continues smoothly despite Puerto Rico's ongoing power grid problems that have plagued the island for years.

The upcoming elections could test whether the increasing influence of smaller parties will lead to higher voter turnout or whether traditional two-party dominance will remain.

This article contains additional reporting from The Associated Press