Puerto Ricans brave rain and long lines to vote in historic election

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Historic elections will take place in Puerto Rico, regardless of which of the top two gubernatorial candidates wins.

If Jenniffer González of the pro-government New Progressive Party wins Tuesday's election, it would be the first time in the island's history that the party has secured three consecutive terms in office.

If Juan Dalmau, running for Puerto Rico's Independence Party and Citizen Victory Movement, wins, it would be the first victory for a candidate outside the two major parties that have dominated the island's politics for decades.

Behind González and Dalmau in polls is Jesús Manuel Ortiz of the People's Democratic Party, which supports the island's territorial status. Also running is Javier Jiménez from Project Dignity, a conservative party founded in 2019.

Thousands of voters across the U.S. territory stood in long lines, umbrellas in hand, undeterred by the heavy rain.

“I feel like there is a chance for change for the first time,” said Jorge Hernández, a 24-year-old art student, as he waited to cast his vote. “Bipartisanship is losing its power. I believe there can be real change.”

For decades, the New Progressive Party and the Popular Democratic Party received at least 90% of the total vote, but in 2016 that began to change. Newer parties are attracting more voters amid Puerto Rico's economic and political turmoil, while a younger generation denounces corruption, including persistent power outages and a lack of affordable housing.

Education, health and public safety were also on voters' minds as they marveled at the long lines despite the rain.

“I’ve never seen it like that before,” said Nadja Oquendo, a 62-year-old retiree.

Faviola Alcalá, a professional surfer, said she was voting for the first time and was thrilled to see the line at her polling station.

“I love it,” she said, adding that she wanted a break from Puerto Rico’s two big parties and more opportunities for young people.

Among the voters who turned out despite the rain was reggaetón superstar Bad Bunny, who mocked the pro-statehood party and made a brief appearance at Dalmau's campaign finale.

“I trust that we, the people of Puerto Rico, will make the right decision for the future of our people,” he told reporters.

Delayed results

There were long lines at several polling stations due to broken voting machines and other problems, including power outages.

Some voters turned on their phone timers to see how long they would wait in line, while others ate snacks as a street vendor shouted, “Cold water! Cold water!”

Ommy González, a 25-year-old bartender voting for the first time, carried a folding chair and a water bottle.

“I’m very excited,” he said. “Of course we want something different for people.”

González said he wanted a stronger economy and a stronger education system and denounced ongoing political corruption: “Stop taking money and spending it wrong.”

Several voters said they were surprised at how quickly minority and new parties had become serious threats to the two main parties' stronghold in Puerto Rico politics.

“I didn’t see this early, but I’m glad,” said Giulianna Abreu, a 33-year-old publicist.

Although polls close late Tuesday afternoon, it may take a few days for election results to be available. In 2020, it took officials four days to release preliminary results.

However, Dalmau said he expects the results for the governor's office to be available late Tuesday: “We are confident that this country will take a historic step.”

Puerto Rico's state election commission is still counting more than 220,000 early and absentee ballots, with counting starting more than two weeks later than usual. Jessika Padilla, the commission's deputy president, said about 40% of those votes had been counted as of Monday.

“We will not take this validation process lightly,” she said.

More than 5,000 inmates out of about 7,400 total also voted, although it is unclear how many of those votes were counted.

Officials are also still receiving allegations of election crimes, including from people who said they received early voting confirmations even though they had not submitted such a request.

A status question and a symbolic vote

On Tuesday, voters will also be asked for the seventh time about Puerto Rico's political status. The non-binding referendum offers three options: statehood, independence and independence with free association, which would address issues such as foreign policy, U.S. citizenship and use of the U.S. dollar.

“We will work to bring equality to our people,” said Jenniffer González of the Pro-Statehood Party.

Party officials have long noted that despite being a U.S. territory, Puerto Rico receives unequal treatment in Medicaid, Medicare and other federal programs.

Regardless of the outcome of the referendum, a change in status requires the approval of the US Congress.

Some voters said Monday that statehood is the only thing that can get Puerto Rico out of the crisis.

Additionally, Puerto Ricans can support Kamala Harris or Donald Trump in a symbolic vote on Tuesday if they wish. While Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens, the island's residents are not allowed to vote in U.S. presidential elections.

Coto writes for the Associated Press.