- Position1 of 2›
- Puerto Rico should become a US state
- Argument‹4 of 4
Puerto Ricans should have the ability to vote in Congress—and for President
Puerto Ricans are US citizens and have their own government, yet are unable to vote in Presidential elections and do not have a voting member of Congress. This leaves roughly 3.2 million people out of the voting process that America fought so hard to erect.
The argument
Puerto Ricans cannot vote for US President, despite being US citzens and having their own local government. This exception for Puerto Rico alienates nearly 3.2 million people from the voting process. Further, Puerto Ricans are not represented in Congress. Puerto Rico is a colony in all but name, and it's time to make sure they're fully represented in the voting process. Puerto Rico does send delegates to presidential nominating conventions; however, they cannot vote in the US general election. While they are subject to federal laws, they lack voting representation in Congress. The island does have a congressional delegate, but they cannot cast a meaningful vote. Jenniffer González-Colón, the representative for Puerto Rico in the US House of Representatives, can serve on committees and vote on legislation, with one caveat: if she casts the deciding vote on legislation, the House votes again—without her. With huge pushes in the US to get out to vote and get more Americans registered to vote, it's unacceptable that a population twice the size of Manhattan can't participate in the electoral process. Puerto Rico needs to become a state to vote in our elections in a meaningful way.
Premises
Counter-arguments
Awarding Puerto Ricans the right to vote in a Presidential election presents an issue for the electoral process. Republicans posit that one of the reasons Democrats want to make Puerto Rico a state is to involve nearly 3.4 million voters in the electoral process, many of whom would likely vote Democrat. Giving Puerto Rico statehood to vote in federal elections—which would also grant the newly found state two senators and more Congressional representatives—might lead to tipping in our democracy.
Rejecting the premises
[Rejecting P1] Widely shared, and it does the least work of the three. The question is not whether representation is desirable but which status delivers it, and independence would deliver full self-government rather than congressional votes. [Rejecting P2] Accurate as a description of the present arrangement. It establishes that the status quo is the problem without establishing which alternative is the remedy. [Rejecting P3] Statehood is one mechanism and the argument treats it as the only one. Independence removes the anomaly by ending the relationship, and Puerto Rican referendums have repeatedly split, with substantial support for other options and low turnout in several votes — so the premise also assumes a settled preference that does not exist. [Rejecting C] The conclusion skips the trade-offs statehood carries: full exposure to federal income tax, the loss of the island's current fiscal arrangements, and unresolved questions of language and self-determination. None of these appear in the premises.