The recent survey of Puerto Rico voters by Gaither International asked voters what their choice would be if they only had a choice between statehood and independence. The majority — 73% — chose statehood. But there were differences depending on the political party with which the respondents were affiliated.
The statehood party
The PNP, traditionally the statehood party, offered no surprises. 95% of those who said they were part of the statehood party said they would vote for statehood.
The “commonwealth” party
61% of those who said they were with the “commonwealth” party also would choose statehood over independence. The same number of unaffiliated voters chose statehood, and 69% of Project Dignity voters said the same.
The numbers for the PPD could be a surprise, since the “commonwealth” party has been the source of support for free association. Free association is a form of independence: all of the nations that currently have Compacts of Free Association with the United States are independent nations. All three became independent nations after having been U.N. Trust Territories. A Compact of Free Association can be ended by either side at any time. If they ended their Compacts of Free Association, they would not turn back into trust territories. They would continue to be independent nations as they are today. Yet the majority of “commonwealth” party members did not choose independence.
We think this may show that many people are confused by the definition of “free association.”
The separatists
The Independence Party and the MVC formed an alliance last year, and they are the only parties that did not show a majority for statehood. But 42% of the MVC voters spoke up for statehood. And 26% — more than one quarter — of those who said they were affiliated with the Independence Party chose statehood over independence.
The chart above shows the percentages of each party. The heights of the bars do not indicate the relative numbers in each group. Of those who had voted in a primary, 94% had voted in either the statehood or the commonwealth party primary. The numbers of those connecting with the separatist parties were small, and significant numbers within those groups still favored statehood.
Puerto Rico wants statehood
For decades we have been hearing claims that Congress will take action on Puerto Rico’s chosen status as soon as Puerto Rico gets it together and chooses a status. Statehood has gotten the majority of votes in every referendum during this century. Statehood is the majority position in polls in Puerto Rico every time. There is no real question about this and no real uncertainty. Puerto Rico is ready for the rights and responsibilities of statehood.
In November 2024, we will have yet another chance to make this clear and obvious. If we must say it again, let’s say it clearly. Make sure that you register and vote. Make sure that your friends and family do the same. This is not the time to give up. We are nearer to statehood than ever before. Make your vote count this November.
One response
Of course people are confused by “Free Association”. It’s a word game that has been played for over 70 years. Puerto Rico is legally a territory, but its title is “Commonwealth of Puerto Rico”. Commonwealth is supposed to indicate autonomy that is not legally there, just what the US allows them to have, and can easily take away at will, since territories do not have the legal autonomy of a state.
The word game becomes even worse in Spanish, since the Spanish title of PR is “Estado Libre Associado de Puerto Rico”… Which directly translates to “Free associated state of Puerto Rico”. So of course most of the pro-commonwealth folks prefer free association. It has stood for commonwealth, or status quo for the last 70 years.
Using that term was a big win for the anti-statehood folks a few years ago, since they know muddying the waters was the best way to delay the slow trend towards statehood. The best recourse now is to help educate and inform.