House passes Puerto Rico Democracy Act HR 2499

[Free Palestine]

Hopefully the Reapportionment Act of 1929 is repealed, because otherwise, the six representatives they'd receive in the House would have to be evened out by reducing the number of districts in other states.  For those of you who don't know, the size of the House was arbitrarily set at 435 members in 1929, a few years after the House just sort of forgot to increase it's own size for the Census of 1920.  Really, the size of the House is suited for a population figure from a hundred years ago.

[hawkeye59]

Finally, a new state! (and now 540 EVs.)

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Yay!

Uh someone like you shouldn't be fond of this. It'd just mean more Democratic votes.

Is this a fact? 

Puerto Ricans in the US are the most Democratic-voting group of Hispanics.

[Obnoxiously Slutty Girly Girl]

Grant Puerto Rico independence. End over a century of unwarranted U.S. imperialism.

[Franzl]

Grant Puerto Rico independence. End over a century of unwarranted U.S. imperialism.

They don't want independence. Wouldn't it be more imperialistic to force something on them they don't want?

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Incidentally, if Puerto Rico had been a State in 2000, then with either a HoR set at 435 or 441, then whoever it voted for President would have been elected, or maybe not.  If PR were a State, it might adopt a rule for selecting their Electors similar to that which they use with their legislature, which would mean a mixture of single member districts and proportional representation.  So for example a 6-2 split (if the HoR was set at 441) or a 5-3 split (if the HoR was kept at 435) in favor of Gore could have given us a tied Electoral College and pushed the election into the House and Senate.

[The reason why the different splits would be needed for a tie depending on the size of the HoR is that for the 1990 Census, the 429th thru 435th Representatives came from Texas, Mississippi, Wisconsin, Florida, Tennessee, and Oklahoma.  Bush won 4 of these States and Gore 2.]

[Holmes]

I have two friends from Puerto Rico, one that lives there who is undecided about statehood but leans toward independence, and one who lives off the island who favors statehood. So I guess whether someone lives on the island or not should be put into consideration too.

The part about having a vote on it every 8 years seems kind of excessive though. It basically ensures statehood... eventually.

[k-onmmunist]

Huzzah!

[Padfoot]

How many times have the people of Puerto Rico voted against statehood?

At least three times that I remember over the past 15 years.

Hardly by significant margins though. The difference between statehood and the other option (it was different both times) during the last two referenda were 2-4%.

I guess the point is, PR is in no rush to become the 51st State or it could have been for some time now......so why the new push?

No one is forcing them to become a state.  Really the only thing this bill does is ask every 8 years if Puerto Ricans are still OK with being a territory or if they want a change.

[ilikeverin]

The problem is with the wording and order of the questions, which seems to disfavor keeping the status quo, even though that's what has been voted every time so far.

Well, there's a natural human proclivity to keep the status quo regardless of its merits, so...

[cinyc]

The problem is with the wording and order of the questions, which seems to disfavor keeping the status quo, even though that's what has been voted every time so far.

Well, there's a natural human proclivity to keep the status quo regardless of its merits, so...

...you allow the natural human proclivity to reign if a majority agree.   You don't try to engineer the outcome you want because you think it's "progressive".

[Marokai Backbeat]

At last, cinyc finds the progressive plot. It's all over.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

I've always liked the idea of offering freeloading territories the option of integration or independence. Nothing else.

[Lunar]

I've always liked the idea of offering freeloading territories the option of integration or independence. Nothing else.

Me too, but not because they're "freeloading" but rather it makes the most sense to be fully a part of a country or fully independent rather than hanging out in limbo.  Why should American citizens not be federally represented equally?  Because they don't want to be?  Screw that.

I find that appealing, "Statehood or Independence"

[paul718]

Yay!

Uh someone like you shouldn't be fond of this. It'd just mean more Democratic votes.

Is this a fact? 

Puerto Ricans in the US are the most Democratic-voting group of Hispanics.

True, but that doesn't necessarily mean Puerto Rican islanders will behave similarly to Americans of PR descent. 

[Lief 🗽]

Puerto Rico should either become a state or become independent. This one foot in, one foot out act it's got going right now is stupid, and they should either pay their fair share of taxes or become their own country.

[Bleeding heart conservative, HTMLdon]

Yay!

Uh someone like you shouldn't be fond of this. It'd just mean more Democratic votes.

Is this a fact? 

Puerto Ricans in the US are the most Democratic-voting group of Hispanics.

and Cubans in Cuba are Communists, what's your point?

[Conservative frontier]

Congrats to Puerto Rico! yea, i know more EV's for the dems, but still.

[Kaine for Senate '18]

Grant Puerto Rico independence. End over a century of unwarranted U.S. imperialism.

[Tender Branson]

Initially, eligible voters, including those born in Puerto Rico but residing in the United States, would vote on whether they wish to keep their current political status or opt for a different direction.

About how many people born in PR are living in the US right now ?

[Padfoot]

Initially, eligible voters, including those born in Puerto Rico but residing in the United States, would vote on whether they wish to keep their current political status or opt for a different direction.

About how many people born in PR are living in the US right now ?

Some estimates indicate that there are actually more Puerto Ricans living stateside than there are on the island.  Wikipedia states the Pew Hispanic Center estimated that, as of 2007, 4.1 million Puerto Ricans lived in the mainland versus 3.9 million living in the island.  IIRC, most "mainland" Puerto Ricans are strong supporters of statehood.

[yougo1000]

Finally, a new state! (and now 540 EVs.)

It would have to be 541 or above no state can have under 3 EVs

[Smid]

I hope they accept Statehood. I think it's good for them to have adequate representation. Either Statehood or Independence (with my personal preference for statehood).

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Finally, a new state! (and now 540 EVs.)

It would have to be 541 or above no state can have under 3 EVs

But if the HoR was reset to 435 Representatives at apportionment after Puerto Rico becomes a State (as happened after the admission of Alaska and Hawaii) then in the long term there would be a gain of only 2 EVs for the increase in the Senate to 102 Senators.

Temporarily there would be a 7 to 8 EV gain depending on how Puerto Rico does in the 2010 census if Puerto Rico became a State in 2012.  (Puerto Rico would most likely gain 6 Representatives, which is what it would have under the 2000 Census, assuming either that all the other States kept their Representatives or there were still only 435 Representatives, but its estimated population growth this decade is slower than the national rate, so it is possible that it would only merit 5 under the 2010 Census.

[Verily]

Yay!

Uh someone like you shouldn't be fond of this. It'd just mean more Democratic votes.

Puerto Rico's Governor, Speaker of the House, and Senate Majority Leader are PNP and Republican as well.  I'm sure if you had a poll today there would be more people who identify with Democrats on the mainland, but once the PNP folds into the state's GOP organization, we've got a shot.

As if the PNP would do that. Half of their membership are affiliated with the Democrats.