SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Puerto Rico is holding elections that will likely be historic no matter which of the highest two gubernatorial candidates wins.
If Jenniffer González of the pro-statehood New Progressive Social gathering wins Tuesday’s election, it would mark the primary time within the island’s historical past that the occasion secures three consecutive phrases.
If Juan Dalmau, who’s operating for Puerto Rico’s Independence Social gathering and Citizen Victory Motion, wins, it is going to be the primary win for a candidate not representing both of the 2 essential events which have dominated the island’s politics for many years.
Trailing González and Dalmau in polls is Jesús Manuel Ortiz of the Well-liked Democratic Social gathering, which helps the island’s territorial standing. Additionally operating is Javier Jiménez of Challenge Dignity, a conservative occasion created in 2019.
For many years, the New Progressive Social gathering and the Well-liked Democratic Social gathering would obtain a minimum of 90% of all votes, however that started to vary in 2016, with newer events attracting extra voters amid financial and political turmoil.
“That has been a really huge change,” mentioned Jorge Schmidt Nieto, a political analyst and college professor.
Outcomes will not be anticipated late Tuesday, with analysts warning it may be a few days earlier than that occurs. Through the 2020 elections, it took officers 4 days to launch preliminary outcomes.
Puerto Rico’s State Elections Fee remains to be counting greater than 220,000 early and absentee votes it obtained, with officers from varied political events noting the method is slow-going. The counting of these votes started greater than two weeks later than typical.
Jessika Padilla, the fee’s alternate president, mentioned in a press convention that some 40% of these votes had been counted as of Monday.
“This validation course of is one which we’re not going to take evenly,” she mentioned.
Greater than 5,000 inmates out of some 7,400 complete in Puerto Rico even have voted, though it’s unclear what number of of these votes have been counted.
The fee and different officers are also nonetheless receiving allegations about electoral crimes, together with from individuals who mentioned they obtained confirmations for early voting once they made no such request.
In the meantime, power turbines have been dispatched to greater than two dozen polling stations to ensure electrical energy given the power energy outages which have plagued Puerto Rico in recent times.
On Tuesday, voters additionally will likely be requested for a seventh time about Puerto Rico’s political standing. The nonbinding referendum gives three choices: statehood, independence and independence with free affiliation, below which points like overseas affairs, U.S. citizenship and use of the U.S. greenback could be negotiated.
Whatever the consequence, a change in standing requires approval from the U.S. Congress.
As well as, Puerto Ricans on Tuesday can assist Kamala Harris or Donald Trump in a symbolic vote if they want. Whereas Puerto Ricans are U.S. residents, these on the island will not be allowed to vote in U.S. presidential elections.
Almost 2 million voters are eligible to take part in Tuesday’s election, though it stays to be seen how many individuals will accomplish that. Voter apathy has dominated latest elections.
____
Observe AP’s protection of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america
