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Inside La Isla: The Primary in Puerto Rico
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Race
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| Contributor | IndyGeorgia |
| Last Edited | IndyGeorgia Mar 05, 2016 07:09pm |
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| Category | General |
| Author | Vann Newkirk |
| News Date | Saturday, March 5, 2016 01:00:00 PM UTC0:0 |
| Description | What is voting in the Puerto Rico primary like? As we reported earlier this week, there are no polls in advance of Puerto Rico’s March 6 Republican primary, so it is hard to get a sense of what issues are shaping the race or even how Puerto Rican residents view the primaries. Puerto Ricans on the island can’t vote for president in the general elections, but the Republican primary on Sunday, March 6, and the Democratic caucus on June 5 give the territory a chance to put its delegates to use in perhaps addressing some of the island’s pressing issues, including mass emigration, an economic crisis, a potential health-care collapse, and the rising threat of Zika.
The lack of national insights into the primary process is mirrored by some local lack of enthusiasm for participating in national politics. Anthony Carrillo, chair of the Hispanic Caucus of the Young Democrats of America and a resident of Puerto Rico, says that disconnect is partly caused by Puerto Rico’s unique local politics.
“There’s some complex local politics,” Carrillo says. “We have three parties. We have the Statehood Party, we have the Commonwealth Party, which is the status quo party, and we have the Independence Party. Local politics here basically dominate the scenarios.”
Carrillo stresses that education and awareness initiatives, such as instructing people on the differences between primaries and caucuses, and more party outreach can help Puerto Rico advocate for itself more in national affairs. But his biggest concern is that apathy often stems from the simple fact that, while Puerto Ricans can vote in the primaries, they cannot vote for president. “I served in the Army,” Carrillo says. “But I don’t get to vote for the commander-in-chief. That’s not right.” |
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