Voting Rights Denied: Puerto Rico's Democratic Exclusion

The denial of voting rights to Puerto Ricans is the most fundamental expression of colonialism — the daily, ongoing refusal to allow a people to govern themselves.

What Puerto Ricans Cannot Do:
1. Vote for president: Despite being U.S. citizens, Puerto Rico residents cannot vote in presidential general elections
2. Elect voting members of Congress: Puerto Rico's sole representative in Congress — the Resident Commissioner — can speak but cannot vote on legislation
3. Vote on federal laws: Federal laws apply to Puerto Rico, but Puerto Ricans have no vote in Congress
4. Influence Supreme Court appointments: The justices who decide Puerto Rico's constitutional rights are appointed by a president Puerto Ricans cannot elect and confirmed by senators they cannot vote for

What Puerto Ricans Can Do:
- Vote in presidential primaries (for Democratic and Republican candidates — but not in the general election)
- Elect the Resident Commissioner (who has no vote)
- Elect their own governor and legislature (whose authority is subordinate to federal law and the fiscal control board)
- Serve in the U.S. military (Puerto Ricans have served and died in every U.S. war since WWI)

The Numbers:
- ~3.2 million U.S. citizens live in Puerto Rico without voting rights
- More people live in Puerto Rico than in 20 U.S. states — all of which have full voting representation
- Puerto Rico's population exceeds Wyoming, Vermont, Alaska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and others — combined

The Mobility Paradox:
- If a Puerto Rican moves to any U.S. state, they immediately gain full voting rights
- If a U.S. citizen from any state moves to Puerto Rico, they lose their right to vote for president
- This demonstrates that the disenfranchisement is based on geography (territorial status), not citizenship
- The implication: Puerto Rico is a place where U.S. citizenship doesn't count

Military Service Without Representation:
- Puerto Ricans have served in the U.S. military since WWI
- Over 200,000 Puerto Ricans served in WWII
- Thousands served in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan
- The 65th Infantry Regiment (Borinqueneers) distinguished itself in Korea
- Puerto Ricans die for a country that will not let them vote — the most extreme form of taxation without representation

Status Plebiscites:
Puerto Rico has held multiple non-binding status votes:
- 1967, 1993, 1998, 2012, 2017, 2020 — results have varied but none have resulted in congressional action
- The fundamental problem: Congress controls Puerto Rico's status and has no obligation to act on plebiscite results
- Puerto Ricans cannot even vote their way out of disenfranchisement — because the decision rests with a Congress in which they have no vote