The recent controversy surrounding a conservative comedian insulting Puerto Rico at a campaign rally for former President Donald Trump has led to an outpouring of support for Vice President Kamala Harris from a variety of celebrities with roots in the island commonwealth. The prospect of millions of Puerto Ricans being mobilized to vote could significantly impact what is shaping up to be a close election. It also raises the question of if and where the Puerto Rican vote can make a difference.
Can Puerto Ricans vote in the 2024 presidential election?
The short answer is that Puerto Ricans are generally eligible to vote for president if they live in the mainland United States rather than in Puerto Rico. Because Puerto Rico is not a state, it is not granted any votes in the Electoral College, and as such, Puerto Ricans on the island do not vote in the presidential election. However, because Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens, Puerto Rican residents of any of the 50 states or Washington, D.C., can vote as long as they meet the requirements of that state. While several Democrats support the idea of allowing Puerto Ricans to vote on whether to become a state, which would grant it Electoral College votes, Republicans have largely opposed the idea based on their desire to prevent the Democratic-leaning island from influencing future presidential elections.
Colonial history leaves Puerto Rico in political limbo
This odd arrangement results from the history of Puerto Rico’s incorporation into the U.S. The United States gained control of the island from Spain in 1898 following the Spanish-American War. Despite the island being under United States control from then on, it wasn’t until 1917 that Puerto Rico was officially made a U.S. territory, and its residents were given American citizenship, partly to get Puerto Ricans to serve in the U.S. military during World War I. Granting territory status but not statehood to the island left it without a formal say in the presidential election. However, it empowered individual Puerto Ricans to move freely about the country and to vote in the state in which they established residency.
Puerto Rican vote could swing election
Currently, nearly 6 million Puerto Ricans reside in the mainland U.S., with many living in critical swing states. For example, the majority of the almost 600,000 eligible Latino voters in Pennsylvania are Puerto Rican. The Harris campaign has already been reaching out to this community, with the vice president visiting Black and Latino areas and rolling out an economic plan for Puerto Rico during a campaign visit to Philadelphia over the weekend. As backlash from anti-Puerto Rico comments at the Trump rally over the weekend, in which a conservative comedian called the island a “floating island of garbage,” continues, several Puerto Rican celebrities — including Jennifer Lopez, Bad Bunny and Ricky Martin — have endorsed Harris or shared her plan for the island to their millions of fans and followers.
Thus, while the 3 million people living on the island of Puerto Rico won’t be able to impact the presidential election directly, nearly twice that many Puerto Ricans reside in the mainland and can vote in the 2024 election. With early voting underway in some states, some have likely voted already. And the combination of Democratic outreach and Republican insults may bring even more Puerto Ricans to the polls to decide between Harris and Trump.
