Puerto Rico holds general election that promises to be historic

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- Puerto Rico is holding elections that will beryllium historical sloppy of which of nan apical 2 gubernatorial candidates wins.

If Jenniffer González of nan pro-statehood New Progressive Party wins Tuesday's election, it will people nan first clip successful nan island’s history that nan statement secures 3 consecutive terms.

If Juan Dalmau, who is moving for Puerto Rico’s Independence Party and Citizen Victory Movement, wins, it will beryllium nan first triumph for a campaigner not representing either of nan 2 main parties that person dominated nan island’s authorities for decades.

Trailing González and Dalmau successful polls is Jesús Manuel Ortiz of nan Popular Democratic Party, which supports nan island’s territorial status. Also moving is Javier Jiménez of Project Dignity, a blimpish statement created successful 2019.

For decades, nan New Progressive Party and nan Popular Democratic Party would person astatine slightest 90% of each votes, but that began to alteration successful 2016, pinch newer parties attracting much voters amid economical and governmental turmoil.

“That has been a very large change,” said Jorge Schmidt Nieto, a governmental expert and assemblage professor.

Results are not expected precocious Tuesday, pinch analysts informing it mightiness beryllium a mates of days earlier that happens. During nan 2020 elections, it took officials 4 days to merchandise preliminary results.

Puerto Rico’s State Elections Commission is still counting much than 220,000 early and absentee votes it received, pinch officials from various governmental parties noting nan process is slow-going. The counting of those votes began much than 2 weeks later than usual.

Jessika Padilla, nan commission’s alternate president, said successful a property convention that immoderate 40% of those votes had been counted arsenic of Monday.

“This validation process is 1 that we are not going to return lightly,” she said.

More than 5,000 inmates retired of immoderate 7,400 full successful Puerto Rico besides person voted, though it’s unclear really galore of those votes person been counted.

The committee and different officials besides are still receiving allegations astir electoral crimes, including from group who said they received confirmations for early voting erstwhile they made nary specified request.

Meanwhile, power generators person been dispatched to much than 2 twelve polling stations to guarantee energy fixed nan chronic powerfulness outages that person plagued Puerto Rico successful caller years.

On Tuesday, voters besides will beryllium asked for a seventh clip astir Puerto Rico’s governmental status. The nonbinding referendum offers 3 options: statehood, independency and independency pinch free association, nether which issues for illustration overseas affairs, U.S. citizenship and usage of nan U.S. dollar would beryllium negotiated.

Regardless of nan outcome, a alteration successful position requires support from nan U.S. Congress.

In addition, Puerto Ricans connected Tuesday tin support Kamala Harris aliases Donald Trump successful a symbolic ballot if they wish. While Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens, those connected nan land are not allowed to ballot successful U.S. statesmanlike elections.

Nearly 2 cardinal voters are eligible to participate successful Tuesday’s election, though it remains to beryllium seen really galore group will do so. Voter ignorant has dominated caller elections.

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