2024 Puerto Rican status referendum

← 2020 November 5, 2024 (2024-11-05)
Results
Statehood   58.61% Free association   29.57% Independence   11.82%
Results bymunicipality Statehood:     60–70%     50–60%     40–50%

A non-binding status referendum was held inPuerto Rico on November 5, 2024 alongside thegeneral elections. This was theseventh referendum held on the long-standing debate about thepolitical status of the island, with theprevious one having taken place in 2020.

Puerto Rican voters were presented with three choices regarding thepolitical status of Puerto Rico:statehood,independence, andfree association. This was the first time that maintaining the island's current status as aUnited States territory was not an option. This decision was cited by thePopular Democratic Party, theMovimiento Victoria Ciudadana, and thePuerto Rican Independence Party to denounce the referendum and call for either a boycott or for voters tospoil their ballots. However, Puerto Rico's governingNew Progressive Party praised the island's vote for statehood.

The option for statehood achieved a majority of the valid vote with 620,782 votes, followed by free association with 313,259 votes, and independence with 125,171 votes. An additional 204,341 ballots were either blank or invalid.^[1][2] The results for free association and independence were initially erroneously interchanged before the error was corrected.^[3][4]

In the2020 Puerto Rican status referendum the option to pursue statehood won the referendum 52.52%–47.48%.^[5]

In 2022, theUnited States House of Representatives passed thePuerto Rico Status Act. It did not pass theUnited States Senate.^[6]

In August 2024, the Puerto Rico Supreme Court dismissed the July 2024 petition by thePuerto Rican Independence Party (PIP) asking the State Election Commission (CEE) to halt the status referendum.^[7][8]

In September 2024, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit seeking a preliminary and permanent injunction, as well as a declaratory judgment, allowing potential voters to register, through October 6.^[9] On October 1, the High Court of Puerto Rico dismissed the lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). The Court declines to intervene in Puerto Rico's electoral processes or grant the extraordinary remedy of a preliminary injunction. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has failed to demonstrate that the September 21 voter registration deadline constitutes an unconstitutional disenfranchisement, or a manifest injustice, that justifies the intrusion of the United States federal government, into the election administration of Puerto Rico.^[10]

On November 21, 2024, former Speaker of the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico, José Aponte, asked the State Electoral Commission (CEE), to count all the ballots of the plebiscite on the status, that were not counted on the day of the general election, including the ones voted by mail.^[11] The Popular Democratic Party (PPD) warns of going to court if the State Electoral Commission (CEE) decides to recount the plebiscite vote on the status of Puerto Rico.^[12]

In December 2024, the representative by accumulation, José Pérez Cordero, goes to the United States Congress to promote the results of the consultation on the status, where the quality of state prevailed with a majority of 57 percent of the votes.^[13]

The results for the options of free association and independence were initially erroneously interchanged byDominion Voting Systems machines.^[3][4] On December 27, 2024, the Puerto Rico Department of Justice received a complaint regarding allegations of irregularities in the results of the plebiscite, the Department of Justice is seizing the complaint, to determine the opening of an investigation into the irregularities, during the plebiscite.^[14]

New Progressive Party (PNP)gubernatorial candidateJenniffer González-Colón called a blank vote a "wasted vote" emphasizing the importance of the vote.^[15] The pro-statehoodRepublican Party of Puerto Rico supports the referendum.^[16]

ThePopular Democratic Party called for a blank vote for not including Commonwealth or the current system.^[17] Gubernatorial candidate ofProyecto DignidadJavier Jiménez announced that he will not vote but granted their membersfree vote.^[18]Movimiento Victoria Ciudadana called to "damage" their referendum andpresidential ballots and theirresident commissionercandidateAna Irma Rivera Lassén announced that she will write "Get outLUMA" on both.^[19] ThePuerto Rican Independence Party (PIP) denounced the referendum as "unconstitutional and illegal" and "a desperate act by the PNP leadership".^[20]

The referendum featured three choices in the following order: independence with free association; statehood; and independence.^[21] It was the first time the island's current status as aU.S. territory was not an option.^[22] Note that free association was an option on some older referendums also, and the structure of voting options has varied over time.

According to thePuerto Rico State Commission on Elections (CEE), 58.6% voted forstatehood, 29.6% forfree association, and 11.8% forindependence.^[2][26] The commission certified these results as the final and official of the plebiscite on January 17, 2025.^[1][27]

The results for the options of free association and independence were initially erroneously interchanged byDominion Voting Systems machines.^[3][4]

• 2024 United States ballot measures

• 2024 referendums
• Referendums in Puerto Rico
• 2024 Puerto Rico elections
• November 2024 in the United States

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