(Washington, DC) – Congressman Alan Grayson proudly supported the introduction of the Puerto Rico Democracy Act of 2009 today. The bill, introduced by Congressman Pedro Pierluisi of Puerto Rico, will authorize a fair, impartial, and democratic process of self-determination on the Island.
“There is a very large Puerto Rican population in Central Florida, but this goes beyond representing people. This is all about what is right and what is fair. If Puerto Rico was a state, it would have six Representatives in Congress, instead of one that cannot vote. If Puerto Rico was a state, it would have two Senators instead of none. If Puerto Rico was a state, the people there could help choose our President. Now they cannot. That is deeply, deeply unfair.”
Voters will be asked whether they wish to maintain Puerto Rico’s present form of political status or whether they wish to have a different political status. If a majority of voters cast their ballots in favor of a different political status, the government of Puerto Rico will be authorized to conduct a second vote among three options: independence, statehood, or sovereignty in association with the United States (status quo).
“It could be that the people of PR will choose to maintain their current status, as unfair as that may seem to some. It could be that they will choose to become a state. It could be that they will choose independence. In any case, we owe it to the people of Puerto Rico to make that choice.”
Congressman Grayson is one of the original co-sponsors of the Puerto Rico Democracy Act of 2009. It will be the first time since Puerto Rico came under U.S. sovereignty in 1898 that Congress will formally ask the people of the Island about their preference regarding Puerto Rico’s political status.
The Puerto Rico Democracy Act of 2009
• Through this bill, Congress would formally consult the people of Puerto Rico as to their preferences regarding the Island’s political status for the first time since Puerto Rico came under U.S. sovereignty in 1898.
• Under the bill, eligible voters would be asked in a first plebiscite (popular vote) to express their view regarding whether Puerto Rico (1) “should continue to have its present form of political status,” or, in the alternative, (2) “should have a different political status.”
• If a majority of votes were cast in favor of Option 2, the government of Puerto Rico would be authorized to hold a second plebiscite among three options: (1) Independence, (2) Sovereignty in Association with the United States, and (3) Statehood.
• The results of these plebiscites would be certified to the President and to Congress.
• The bill would provide for a fair and impartial process of self-determination in Puerto Rico. The legislation does not exclude or favor any status option. The status option preferred by each of Puerto Rico’s local political parties appears on the ballot.
• Puerto Rico has been under the U.S. flag for 111 years and its residents have been U.S. citizens since 1917. Puerto Rico is currently home to nearly 4 million American citizens. Yet residents of Puerto Rico cannot vote for president and are not represented by any voting members in Congress, even though Congress determines their legal rights and responsibilities and has the power to determine their ultimate political status.
• Puerto Rico has contributed much to the life of this nation in times of peace and times of war. Residents of Puerto Rico serve as U.S. government officials, ambassadors, federal judges and military officers. The Island has long played an outsized role in our nation’s defense. Since being granted citizenship, residents of Puerto Rico have worn the uniform in every conflict the United States has fought. Puerto Rico currently sends a greater percentage of its sons and daughters into the U.S. military than all but one state.
• It is poignant that residents of Puerto Rico have waged war and laid down their lives in defense of American democratic values for over nine decades, but in that time have never been given the chance to express their views about their political relationship with the United States in the context of a fair, neutral, and democratic process sponsored by the Congress.
