Velázquez Calls on DOJ to Tackle Disenfranchisement in Puerto Rican Electoral System

Washington, D.C. - Today, Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) led a letter to the Department of Justice (DOJ) calling on the agency to act to safeguard the rights of Puerto Rican voters in the face of ongoing disenfranchisement in the Puerto Rican electoral system.

"Voters in Puerto Rico have faced unprecedented obstacles in the exercise of their fundamental right to vote, and they deserve all the support of the federal government to remedy this untenable situation," wrote the lawmakers. "We reiterate the need for the DOJ to send federal poll monitors to Puerto Rico for the island's upcoming general election and to conduct a thorough audit of the CEE's use of HAVA funds. Doing right by Puerto Rico at the present hour must necessarily mean protecting its fragile democracy."

On June 20, 2020, despite staunch public opposition the Government of Puerto Rico passed Act 58, the new Puerto Rican electoral code. Its provisions jeopardized the institutional balance that the Puerto Rico State Commission on Elections (CEE for its Spanish acronym) maintained over the years, placing the New Progressive Party (PNP for its Spanish acronym) in control of the CEE. As a result, key bureaucrats crucial to the agencies functioning were discharged and representation for minority parties within the agency was eliminated.

The new electoral code included provisions that have severely impacted voter registration, participation, and have prompted disenfranchisement. As of July 31, 2024, only 55,147 new voters had registered- a 63% decline compared to the average number of new registrations over the past three elections.

In the letter, the lawmakers call on the DOJ Civil Rights Division to immediately act to safeguard voters' rights in the upcoming November election by sending federal poll monitors to oversee CEE compliance with voting rights laws.

"The federal government must do right by the people of Puerto Rico, which in this context means defending their fundamental right to vote per the safeguards and guarantees enshrined in the US Constitution's Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments," the lawmakers continued.

The shortcomings of the CEE are aggravated by the fact that the office had nearly $7 million in federal funds as of September 30, 2023, to comply with the Help America Vote Act (HAVA). On August 14, 2003, Puerto Rico submitted its initial implementation plan to the U.S Office of Election Assistance Commission (EAC) pursuant to HAVA and has received funding since. The letter calls for the EAC to open an audit around the use of HAVA funds by the CEE.

In addition to Congresswoman Velázquez, the letter was also signed by Reps. Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ), Grace Meng (D-NY), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), and Delia Ramirez (D-IL).

For a full copy of the letter, click here.

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