Puerto Rico and the Presidential Vote

Floor Speech

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Mr. GRAYSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call on Congress to give the people of Puerto Rico the most basic of rights, the right to vote for our national leader. In all of the world's democracies, Puerto Rico is the largest territory by population that cannot choose our national elected official. Three-and-a-half million Americans in Puerto Rico have no say in who serves as President of the United States.

Women and African Americans were once denied this basic voting right. Now it is American citizens who reside in Puerto Rico who suffer this disenfranchisement. The contradictions are painfully clear. Puerto Ricans participate in the Presidential primary process, they send pledged delegates to each major party's convention, but they do not participate directly in the choice of President of the United States.

If these same American citizens move to the mainland, they can quickly and easily help to elect our national leader, but they are denied this very basic right to help choose the President and Vice President merely for living where they do.

The solution to this problem is a simple one, and we have accomplished it before. Fifty-five years ago, the District of Columbia was granted electors to the electoral college with the passage of the 23rd Amendment to the Constitution. Like Puerto Rico now, the District of Columbia was not and is not a State.

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Mr. GRAYSON. I will simply say we must give Puerto Ricans the right to vote for President.

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