One of the stories about Puerto Rico is that people are greatly divided on the choice of political status for the Island. “Some people like statehood,” the story goes, “some like independence, and some just want to stay as they are.” It sounds as though Puerto Rico voters are fairly evenly divided. Members of Congress use the story to justify ignoring the status votes from Puerto Rico and taking no action.
Polls consistently show that this story just isn’t true. A recent poll on the Island found that, given a choice between statehood and independence, 73% of voters chose statehood. A new poll of voters in Florida found that 79% of Puerto Rican voters support statehood.
The poll
The question asked was simple: “Do you support or oppose making Puerto Rico the 51st state?” The polling organization, Mason-Dixon Polling and Strategy, asked 625 registered Hispanic voters across the state of Florida in telephone interviews.
For all the voters, 68% supported statehood. This is comparable to previous polls of Americans. About two thirds of Americans on the mainland usually favor statehood. The 68% held firm when respondents were divided by age. When sorted into male and female answers, 71% of women and 65% of men supported statehood.
The interviewers also asked about the respondent’s heritage. Among Cuban voters, 58% supported statehood. Among Puerto Ricans, 79% wanted statehood. Among other Hispanic voters, 69% chose statehood.
National party affiliations were also asked. 77% of Democrats, 61% of Republicans, and 66% of independents favored statehood. In other words, the majority of voters want statehood, regardless of which party they support.
The truth
There was a time when people on the Island were more evenly divided between statehood and “commonwealth,” the fantasy status that all three branches of the federal government have rejected. As it has become more clear that “commonwealth” as it is envisioned by the commonwealth party is unconstitutional and not a viable option, the number of voters preferring statehood has increased steadily. At this point, the majority of Puerto Rico voters want statehood.
The majority of Americans, Puerto Rican or not, also support statehood. Congress needs to wake up and get on the right side of history. If you live in a state, let your representatives know that you want them to support statehood for Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico is ready for the rights and responsibilities of statehood. It’s time to take action.
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