Following a contentious incident at Donald Trump's rally in Madison Square Garden, the spotlight has been shifted to a fundamental question: Can Puerto Ricans vote?
The answer is no. Voters in Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories are ineligible to vote, given that it is not a state, and therefore, does not fall under the United States Constitution's congressional voting representation granted only to the U.S. states.
Trending
Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, in speaking at the rally this week, took jibes at the Puerto Rican and Latin community:
"These Latinos, they love making babies, too. Just know that they do. There’s no pulling out. They don’t do that. They come inside, just like they did to our country. There’s a lot going on. I don’t know if you guys know this, but there’s literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now. I think it’s called Puerto Rico."
Can Puerto Ricans vote? The Electoral College System says they can't
Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory that has over 3 million citizens. However, the U.S. Constitution, in Article II, Section 1, specifies that only states can appoint electors who cast votes in the Electoral College. It reads:
"Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress."
This means that territories like Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and American Samoa are all excluded from doing so.
Notably, these territories do have a say on who assumes office, given that they are allowed to engage in the presidential primary. As such, they are given delegates by the two major political parties, i.e. the Democratic and Republican parties this year.
Tim Walz says Puerto Ricans are "citizens" who "pay tax," calls Tony Hinchcliffe a "jack wad"
According to NBC News, in reflecting on Hinchcliffe's comments on Puerto Ricans, Trump campaign senior adviser Danielle Alvarez said,
“This joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign.”
Notably, Pennsylvania, a key battleground state, is home to nearly half a million Puerto Ricans--making it the third-largest state to do so in the country. Tim Walz, Vice President and Democratic Presidential nominee Kamala Harris' running mate, chimed in on the comments. Speaking on a live stream with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., on Sunday afternoon, he said:
"Who is that jack-wad? Who is that guy? People in Puerto Rico are citizens. They pay tax and they serve in the military at almost a higher rate than anybody else."
However, the comedian took to X to double down on his contentious stance:
"These people have no sense of humor. Wild that a vice presidential candidate would take time out of his “busy schedule” to analyze a joke taken out of context to make it seem racist. I love Puerto Rico and vacation there. I made fun of everyone…watch the whole set."
The US Presidential election is slated for Tuesday, November 5, 2024.
Reply
