A questioner at Reddit had an interesting point: “How is a person who can’t vote and doesn’t pay taxes to the US government a US citizen?” In a continuing discussion, there was no resolution, but a feeling that citizenship without the ability vote or pay taxes was meaningless.
Are Puerto Ricans really U.S. citizens?
Yes, definitely. Since 1917, everyone born in Puerto Rico has had statutory citizenship under the Shafroth-Jones Act.
As U.S. citizens, Puerto Ricans can live, work, and study in any state or territory and move freely from one place to another. They are eligible for federal benefits, according to the laws of the state or territory in which they live. They have U.S. passports and can compete in the Miss America pageant and on U. S. Olympic teams.
Why can’t Puerto Rico voters vote in presidential elections?
This is because of the Electoral College. U.S. citizens living in states don’t vote directly for the president. They vote for electors, and the electors vote for the president. Puerto Rico has no electors, because it’s not a state.
Some people in the Reddit discussion wondered whether Puerto Ricans could use absentee ballots if they had previously lived in a state, as U.S. expats generally can. They cannot, because the disenfranchisement isn’t personal — it’s a lack of electoral votes for the territories, not a lack of any individual’s vote.
Why can’t Puerto Ricans pay federal income tax?
The rule about federal income tax is a law from the 1950s, when the federal government wanted Puerto Rico’s government to be able to tax people living there. Congress worried that people living in Puerto Rico couldn’t afford both federal and territorial income taxes, so they decided to exempt wages earned in Puerto Rico from federal income tax. Workers in Puerto Rico still pay Social Security taxes, unemployment taxes, and the rest.
While people living in Puerto Rico mostly don’t pay U.S. income taxes, that is not the great deal many people might think. Puerto Rico often is also exempt from tax credits. Nearly half of the people living in states don’t earn enough money to pay federal income tax, and they often have additional tax credits Puerto Ricans don’t have. People living in states also get back more from Social Security than those living in Puerto Rico.
Puerto Rico also has the highest sales tax in the nation, the same level of property tax as many states, and higher local income tax than most states. Statehood would probably improve the tax situation for the average resident of Puerto Rico.
Citizens without a State
Were can see where the folks in that conversation were coming from. Puerto Ricans do not have equal rights with citizens living in states. Their citizenship doesn’t even provide the full protection of the U.S. Constitution. The solution, obviously, is statehood. As citizens of the state of Puerto Rico, we would have the full protection of the Constitution, a full voice in the government, and full benefits under federal law.
It’s time for Puerto Rico to have the rights and responsibilities of statehood. Tell your representatives that you want to see them on the right side of history.
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