SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Almost a month has passed since Puerto Rico’s significant general elections, yet the U.S. territory has not released an official vote tally for a single district. A recent ruling by a judge has sparked controversy and could potentially prolong the certification process, with swearing-in ceremonies scheduled for January 2 fast approaching.
The judge ruled that the State Elections Commission in Puerto Rico must count early votes after validating voters’ identification, even if the address used to request those votes differs from the registered address on record. Judge Raúl A. Candelario López emphasized the integrity of the electoral framework, stating, “Our legal framework in electoral matters is covered with guarantees of reliability, which leave no room for speculation or doubts about the validity of early votes.”
The lawsuit at the heart of this ruling was filed on November 21 by a group of voters from the New Progressive Party, which is aligned with pro-statehood sentiments and is projected to have won the governorship based on preliminary data. The judge’s decision came in light of allegations from these voters that their rights were being infringed upon since they had fulfilled all early voting requirements but were facing additional conditions without legal justification.
This ruling has led to discontent among many, including Karla Angleró, the electoral commissioner representing the opposing Popular Democratic Party, one of Puerto Rico’s two primary political groups. Angleró announced plans to appeal the decision made on Wednesday. In a previous agreement reached in September among electoral members, it was decided that discrepancies in addresses would lead officials to contact voters to confirm early voting requests, aiming to prevent any fraudulent activities.
Additionally, Angleró and her fellow commissioners had recently called for an investigation into the unusual situation of over 40 ballots being requested from the same P.O. box in Santa Isabel, despite differing residential addresses. She voiced her frustration, stating, “We’ve been waiting for weeks,” regarding the ongoing investigation.
Judicial authorities are actively looking into allegations of electoral misconduct. These concerns had been raised prior to November 2, with some individuals claiming they received confirmations to vote early, despite not having requested it. While these investigations proceed, electoral officials are working on certifying the ballots, targeting completion by December 20 or 22, as per Jessika Padilla, an alternate president for the elections commission. The certification of San Juan’s district was initially on track for Wednesday but has since been pushed to Sunday due to various challenges.
The certification process has faced numerous delays, including a surge in write-in votes and a multitude of errors identified in certain ballots. In response, electoral commissioners agreed to begin counting over 60,000 ballots again from the start. Due to these ongoing issues, they temporarily paused counts for a nonbinding referendum held on November 2, which pertained to Puerto Rico’s political future, to concentrate solely on election ballots. According to local law, the certification must be completed by December 31.