Puerto Rico’s sixth plebiscite on status — the first yes/no vote on statehood — will take place on November 3, 2020 in Puerto Rico. Concerns about the 2020 Puerto Rico plebiscite ballot have recently surfaced. There will be just one question on the ballot: “Should Puerto Rico be immediately admitted into the Union as a state?”
Yes/No order
It was agreed that the two options — yes and no — would be placed on the ballot according to a coin toss. “No” won the toss and is therefore in the top place.
Some observers are concerned that this will be confusing. When there is a choice between “yes” and “no” on a ballot, the order is normally “Yes” followed by “No.”
However, there was concern that putting “Yes” in the top spot would benefit the statehood option. The feeling was that people might be more likely to choose the first option, even if they did not want statehood.
Placement of checkboxes
The original sample ballot showed the “yes” and “no” boxes clearly. “No” was on the left and “Yes” on the right, with noticeable space between them.
The latest 2020 Puerto Rico plebiscite ballot has potentially confusing spacing. The two options are so close together that they butt up against each other. The boxes, shapes, and words are also smaller.
Some people are concerned that a voter might inadvertently mark the wrong one, just because they are so close together.
These concerns may be used to discredit the results of the vote. However, we ask you to study the options and make sure they are clear to you before you go to vote. We also ask that you share this information on the 2020 Puerto Rico plebiscite ballot with other Puerto Rico voters, to make sure there is no confusion.
Our goal is to have a completely clear, unquestionable result.
No responses yet