Puerto Ricans just issued their mandate for statehood [View all]
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- On Nov. 3, the U.S. citizens of the territory of Puerto Rico answered a simple but momentous question: “Should Puerto Rico be admitted immediately as a state of the union? Yes or No.” This straightforward query produced a powerful result: Voters demanded statehood.
The significance of this historic moment should not be lost. Puerto Rico has been a U.S. territory since 1898 and Puerto Ricans have been deeply divided over the islands’ political status for generations, a debate that the more than 100,000 Puerto Ricans living in Ohio know well. After six consultations, with statehood winning in 2012 and 2017, this was the first referendum in which statehood was judged through an up-or-down vote.
Results were conclusive. An absolute majority of 52% voted for statehood, garnering far more votes than any party or any candidate elected to islandwide office. Statehood even tallied more votes than the elected pro-statehood governor, showing that statehood received support from diverse swaths of the electorate.
In voting “yes,” voters debunked the myths propagated against previous statehood victories.
Read more: https://www.cleveland.com/opinion/2020/12/puerto-ricans-just-issued-their-mandate-for-statehood-jose-a-cabrera.html
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