In 2012, Puerto Rican voters living in Puerto Rico voted for statehood. Since then, increasing numbers of people are leaving the Island, voting for statehood for themselves by coming to the mainland.
Since they’ve left Puerto Rico and now live in a state, you might think that Puerto Ricans living on the mainland wouldn’t want statehood for Puerto Rico. They already have all the benefits of statehood, and they might even have a nostalgic desire to keep things the same in Puerto Rico… since they don’t have to live with the problems of territorial status.
A new survey conducted among Puerto Ricans living in Florida finds that this is not the case. In fact, an even larger majority favors statehood now than in 2005, when a similar survey was conducted.
Why might people who have left Puerto Rico — or whose parents did so — choose statehood for Puerto Rico? Occam’s Razor tells us that the simplest answer is the most likely. In this case, the simplest answer is this:
Having had the chance to experience statehood, Puerto Ricans on the mainland know that it is the best option.
This is not to say that the mainland is better than Puerto Rico, by any means. Rather, once they have had a chance to have a voice in the laws affecting them, they see that this would be better for Puerto Rico than the largely mythical benefits of the “commonwealth status” — which just means belonging to the United States as a territory and having the word “commonwealth” in the official name of the Island.
Another possibility: Puerto Ricans in Puerto Rico have already voted for statehood, so the issue should be closed. Puerto Ricans on the mainland and on the Island would like the U.S. to respect the vote and take action on it.
Puerto Rico is ready for statehood. Sign the petition to encourage action on this issue.
And sign up to receive to receive the full results of this important new survey.
Voter Consumer Research surveying FL I-4 Hispanics of Puerto Rican Origin, Dates: 8/20-9/4/2014
400 Interviews / MoE +/- 4.9%
This post was originally written in English and may be being auto-translated by Google.
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