Donald Trump and Joe Biden have been where people don’t even have the right to vote for them: Puerto Rico.
The 3.2 million people there are US citizens, who follow US Law and pay US taxes for things like Social Security and Medicare. But
That could change though, when Puerto Rico goes to the polls on Tuesday, November 3rd to answer one yes or no question: Should Puerto Rico be admitted immediately into the Union as a State?
That is the island's most central and divisive issue and the outcome could lead to a fundamental transformation of Washington politics and a shake-up of US elections to come.
This week on The Case we’re looking at three things to consider when it comes to making Puerto Rico an official American state; what statehood would mean for the island, who’s in favour of it and how it would impact future elections.
Alice Matthews explores The Case for Puerto Rico becoming a US state. Source: The Feed
WHAT WOULD IT MEAN FOR PUERTO RICO?
Puerto Rico is nestled in the Caribbean, north of Venezuela and east of Cuba. But It is not an American state, but it’s not a sovereign nation either. It belongs to the US but isn't a part of the US.
Even still, the chief of state for Puerto Rico is the President of the United States of America. The island elects its own Governor and has authority over its internal affairs, but the United States controls almost everything else like interstate trade, foreign relations and commerce, immigration and emigration, nationality and citizenship, currency and much more.
Puerto Rico means “rich port.” In reality, it’s anything but. While mainland America was booming, the island was bankrupt. It’s been in recession since 2016 andNearly half the population lives in poverty -- four times the American average. And its lack of statehood means it’s near impossible to attract investment or political help.
Case in point, Hurricane Maria in 2017. Some on the island argue thatwould have been quicker and less fatal Nearly 3,000 US citizens died.
Puerto Rico belongs to America, but it isn't a US state. Source: The Feed
Becoming a state of the union could mean better access to aid and funding, economic recovery and proper representation in Washington.
Or it could mean...
“A larger nation gobbling up or swallowing another nation... Some would argue that statehood would be the culmination of colonialism,” according to Dr Carlos A. Suárez Carrasquillo, a Political Science Professor at the University of Florida.
The statehood vote has as much to do with economics as it does with identity and integrity.
WHO’S IN FAVOUR OF STATEHOOD?
The Democrats say they’ll listen to what Puerto Rico wants, while the Republicans are not a fan of statehood.
Dr Suárez says while the island itself has been divided over the issue,
“I would pose it also this way, is the US ready to embrace a Latin American Caribbean nation as part of its union?” he asked.
US polls are and Puerto Rico itself has voted on the issue five times already. But with higher turnout expected this time, along with a single definitive question, that Washington can’t ignore.
Dr Mayra Vélez Serrano, a political science professor at the University of Puerto Rico in San Juan, says polling on the island is swinging one way.
A state of Puerto Rico would have two seats in the Senate and likely four or five in the House. Source: The Feed
“What we’ve seen so far in the polls is that the majority of the people are going to vote in favour of statehood,” she said.
If that happens, It could depend on whether a Puerto Rican state would sway red or blue.
WHAT WOULD STATEHOOD MEAN FOR ELECTIONS TO COME?
A state of Puerto Rico would have two seats in the Senate and in the House. In terms of electoral college votes, Puerto Rico would carry more weight than at least a dozen existing American states.
With an island population of 3.2 million, its voting size is similar to the swing state of Iowa, which has six electoral college votes. Not to mention those 3.2 million also have the ears of the 5.8 million Puerto Rican friends and relatives living on the mainland, who already get a presidential vote.
It’s assumed that because Latinos and Hispanics on the mainland swing Democrat, the island of Puerto Rico would too.
But, then again, , much of the population is Christian and there are laws there restricting things like abortion and trans rights.
“So if we become a state, it's very likely to be a purple state. Not as much as a solid blue, like a lot of people tend to assume,” Dr Mayra Vélez Serrano said.
“It will be more likely, for example, to swing the Senate from Republicans to Democrats every electoral cycle, and then also [it] can become a battle state for the presidency,” she told The Feed.
THE VERDICT
Puerto Ricans have considered another option in the past, outside of statehood or continuing limbo. This year’s referendum, which is running in conjunction with the island’s general elections, doesn’t address that. But after years of wavering support for the movement, Dr Suárez says it looks like momentum for the Puerto Rico Independence Party has grown in recent years.
“[Polls are] forecasting that [the pro-independence party] will get one of the highest voting percentages in maybe half a century. If that does happen, it will be really interesting times for Puerto Rico,” he said. 
But whatever happens in the November third referendum, one thing is certain:
What a state of Puerto Rico would look like in Washington. Source: The Feed
“Puerto Ricans finally need to have a say in the politics and the policies that apply to them,” Dr Mayra Vélez Serrano said.
So when it comes to whether Puerto Rico should be the US’ 51st state, it’s for the island to decide and Congress to enact.
