97% of Puerto Ricans vote to become 51st state (Ninety-Seven Percent!)

[Blue3]

Sure, a bunch of people boycotted the vote because their party told them to (why? so stupid)... but 97%!!

https://www.yahoo.com/news/complicated-puerto-ricans-vote-knotty-us-relationship-055705457.html

[JA]

I 100% support full statehood being granted to Puerto Rico - along with any other US Territories that vote for obtaining that. Unfortunately, I don't foresee a Republican dominated Congress granting them statehood, considering they'd be a guaranteed lock for Democrats.

[Virginiá]

I don't even think the low turnout nature of the referendum matters tbh. Actual states make major decisions in the form of elections with low turnout as well. Virginia's non-gubernatorial year legislative elections are often decided by 20-something% turnout, and the legislation that comes from those lawmakers is just as valid.

I would also argue that if most of the country simply doesn't want to participate in the decision process, then that is their choice, and you can't force them to actually cast a vote for a particular choice. If Congress chooses to directly or indirectly make high turnout a part of their decision-making process, then they ought to look around the continental United States and maybe rethink how local/state elections are run, because all those hyper-low turnout elections result in a lot of official acts themselves.

[ProudModerate2]

... I don't foresee a Republican dominated Congress granting them statehood, considering they'd be a guaranteed lock for Democrats.

[Green Line]

It was not a serious vote, and was boycotted by the other side.  Trying to present this as anything meaningful is disingenuous..

[Virginiá]

It was not a serious vote, and was boycotted by the other side.  Trying to present this as anything meaningful is disingenuous..

What if the other side decides to boycott any future vote on the matter? Does that mean PR can never become a state just on that alone?

[Blue3]

Boycotting a vote like this is immensely stupid. It's deciding that you don't care which way PR goes.

Besides, Puerto Rico already voted in 2012 to become the 51st state too, with no boycott that I recall.

[Green Line]

It was not a serious vote, and was boycotted by the other side.  Trying to present this as anything meaningful is disingenuous..

What if the other side decides to boycott any future vote on the matter? Does that mean PR can never become a state just on that alone?

Yes.  If the other side boycotted I would say the same absolutely.  It's not a serious referendum.

[kyc0705]

To be fair, voter turnout was 23%; so this was 97% of 23%, which is really 22.3% of voters.

(However, it's probable that a majority of Puerto Ricans favor statehood. Yet I see it as untenable in its current economic status, and untenable in our current congressional climate.)

[Adam Griffin]

"Boycott" = "we know we would lose the vote anyway so let's pretend to be principled or whatever by not voting so we can claim the vote was illegitimate"

[Adam Griffin]

It was not a serious vote, and was boycotted by the other side.  Trying to present this as anything meaningful is disingenuous..

What if the other side decides to boycott any future vote on the matter? Does that mean PR can never become a state just on that alone?

Yes.  If the other side boycotted I would say the same absolutely.  It's not a serious referendum.

This is akin to the Bronx GOP or Utah Democrats telling their voters to "boycott" the presidential election: it doesn't de-legitimize the result because they were going to have no effect on the overall outcome in the first place. It's nothing more than a pathetic attempt at spin to de-legitimize the same verdict that would've been delivered whether they voted or not.

[Green Line]

It didn't even pass the last time they voted.... the YES vote won 54% to change status, but statehood only got 61% of that.  Not like the Bronx GOP whatsoever.  Theres a large anti-statehood group.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Boycotting a vote like this is immensely stupid. It's deciding that you don't care which way PR goes.

Besides, Puerto Rico already voted in 2012 to become the 51st state too, with no boycott that I recall.

Actually, they didn't and your recall is imperfect.

In 2012, the PPD had recommended that it's members vote Yes on the first question (keeping the current status) and blank on the second question.  The blanks from the boycott of the second question weren't counted in the official figures, but if they had been then only about 45% voted for Statehood, and some of those likely voted against change but felt that if change happened, Statehood was the best of the three options presented in that referendum.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

They vote each year for statehood. Who care.

[The Arizonan]

They vote each year for statehood. Who care.

The Democrats for one.

[Virginiá]

They vote each year for statehood. Who care.

Doesn't it bother you that millions of American citizens do not have any representation in Congress? In PR case, no say in presidential elections either.

I don't understand why America can't just deal with this issue once and for all. Make them a state, or cut them loose. But for gods sake, if statehood is out of the question, at least let it be for some reason other than petty partisan politics.

[Green Line]

They vote each year for statehood. Who care.

Doesn't it bother you that millions of American citizens do not have any representation in Congress? In PR case, no say in presidential elections either.

I don't understand why America can't just deal with this issue once and for all. Make them a state, or cut them loose. But for gods sake, if statehood is out of the question, at least let it be for some reason other than petty partisan politics.

77% of Puerto Rican voters didn't even care enough to vote.  Why should the American people care?

[DrScholl]

If this was the State of Jefferson or some other separatist state voting for statehood and only on a 1% turnout, conservatives would support it. Opposition to Puerto Rico statehood is almost purely partisan.

[Indy Texas]

They either need to become a state or become an independent country.

Same for all other US territories.

[Green Line]

They either need to become a state or become an independent country.

Same for all other US territories.

What about what the people of Puerto Rico want?  When did you decide that?  Why not let them decide, but it seems white liberals know best how the browns should be governed.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

I presume those opponents of Puerto Rican statehood using turnout statistics to justify their position would also have opposed American nationhood in 1776. After all, it is a historical fact that the independence resolution would have failed had not anti-independence delegates boycotted the vote, and most historians estimate less than 40% of Americans participated in the mass meetings, assemblies, and revolutionary committees that organized the Continental government. Shall we alert the Queen?

In all seriousness, there is no reason - save partisan self-interest - to deny Puerto Rico admission to the Union if the majority of voting citizens so desire it. Assuming that we do not wish to overturn the Declaration of Independence, and instead design to take the Founding Fathers seriously, it's worth noting that the genesis of this country can be found in the idea that "taxation without representation is tyranny." And yes, every American ought to care about that, because that idea is literally the reason we exist.

[H.E. VOLODYMYR ZELENKSYY]

They either need to become a state or become an independent country.

Same for all other US territories.

What about what the people of Puerto Rico want?  When did you decide that?  Why not let them decide, but it seems white liberals know best how the browns should be governed.

Well, we did let them decide today. That's the point.

[Green Line]

They either need to become a state or become an independent country.

Same for all other US territories.

What about what the people of Puerto Rico want?  When did you decide that?  Why not let them decide, but it seems white liberals know best how the browns should be governed.

Well, we did let them decide today. That's the point.

They didn't want to decide today, clearly.  They will decide at a time and place of their choosing, not when racist whites decide it best suits their political desires.

[H.E. VOLODYMYR ZELENKSYY]

They either need to become a state or become an independent country.

Same for all other US territories.

What about what the people of Puerto Rico want?  When did you decide that?  Why not let them decide, but it seems white liberals know best how the browns should be governed.

Well, we did let them decide today. That's the point.

They didn't want to decide today, clearly.  They will decide at a time and place of their choosing, not when racist whites decide it best suits their political desires.

I didn't set up the plebiscite. The territorial government did.

[Green Line]

They either need to become a state or become an independent country.

Same for all other US territories.

What about what the people of Puerto Rico want?  When did you decide that?  Why not let them decide, but it seems white liberals know best how the browns should be governed.

Well, we did let them decide today. That's the point.

They didn't want to decide today, clearly.  They will decide at a time and place of their choosing, not when racist whites decide it best suits their political desires.

I didn't set up the plebiscite. The territorial government did.

And the Puerto Rican voters decided they didn't give af.  They've been asked to vote on this every year for the last 20 years but some people just wont drop their wet dream.