Confusion Over the Puerto Rican Vote

Published: December 25, 1998

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The only clear message from the recent plebiscite in Puerto Rico
is that the question of the island's political future remains deeply
divisive. Congress's failure to sponsor orderly balloting that
would give the island's 3.8 million voters a meaningful say about
their political status has not helped.

Earlier this year the House passed a bill that would have set up a
Congressionally approved referendum for Puerto Ricans on
whether the island should retain its current commonwealth
status, seek statehood or become an independent nation. If
statehood or independence received a majority vote the Federal
Government would develop a transition plan, leading to a vote by
Congress for a status change within 10 years. Both the
Republican and Democratic parties have long supported Puerto
Rican self-determination. But the Senate blocked the legislation
and simply said it would review the outcome of any nonbinding
local vote.

The recent ballot, prepared by the Puerto Rican government, was

crowded with five options: statehood, commonwealth,
independence, free association or none of the above. Negative
campaigns mounted by both the statehood and commonwealth
camps contributed to ''none of the above'' picking up 50.2
percent of the vote. Much of that was a protest vote from the pro-
commonwealth camp, which saw the ballot as misleading. The
statehood option, championed by Gov. Pedro Rossello, received
46.5 percent of the votes, far more than the other options but not
enough to win.

Much of the debate has focused on what is possible under a

commonwealth status. Puerto Ricans currently have American
citizenship, and are subject to Federal laws and the draft. But
they do not pay Federal income tax and do not vote for President
or elect voting members of Congress. Some commonwealth
supporters fear that statehood would jeopardize the island's
Spanish-based culture, and have argued that getting enhanced
rights from the Federal Government is possible without
becoming a state. Pro-statehood advocates reject that position as
unrealistic.

Congress can reduce the confusion by crafting a referendum with

input from Puerto Rican leaders on all sides that accurately
reflects the options available. ''None of the above'' does not move
Puerto Ricans any closer to defining their future.