Voting Rights

Voting is a fundamental right and the foundation of a functioning democracy. In Puerto Rico, barriers to full political participation continue to limit how people engage in the democratic process.
The ACLU of Puerto Rico works to defend voting rights by promoting fair elections, opposing voter suppression, and advocating for inclusive and accessible democratic systems. We believe every eligible voter deserves a meaningful voice.

Derechos al Voto

What you need to know

10 Years

A decade after Congress imposed PROMESA in 2016, Puerto Rico remains under the antidemocratic control of an unelected Fiscal Oversight Board.

39.45%

Puerto Rico’s governor was elected in 2024 with 39.45% of the vote — less than an absolute majority — underscoring how the current electoral system can produce a winning candidate without majority support.

0

No federal law currently provides a binding self-determination process with clearly defined, congressionally enforceable options for Puerto Rico’s political future.

The ACLU of Puerto Rico is advocating for fair elections, transparent governance, and equal representation for every voter. You can help by learning about your voting rights, supporting reforms that expand access to the ballot, and amplifying the demand for full democratic participation.

Key Issues

The ACLU of Puerto Rico is advocating for fair elections, transparent governance, and equal representation for every voter. You can help by learning about your voting rights, supporting reforms that expand access to the ballot, and amplifying the demand for full democratic participation.

Colonial governance: Puerto Rico remains under a colonial relationship with the United States, without a binding self-determination process that offers clearly defined and congressionally enforceable options for its political future.

Antidemocratic control: A decade after PROMESA, Puerto Rico remains subject to the power of an unelected Fiscal Oversight Board imposed by Congress, with sweeping authority over the island’s fiscal and governmental affairs.

Electoral transparency and access: Democratic participation depends on fair election administration, accessible information, and systems that do not create unnecessary barriers to registration or voting. Reporting during the 2024 cycle documented problems with Puerto Rico’s digital voter-registration platform, including rejected applications and obstacles to timely registration.

Youth participation: Young people remain underrepresented in electoral participation and civic leadership. Reporting ahead of the 2024 elections found that only about 40,000 of roughly 150,000 newly eligible young voters had registered by late summer, underscoring persistent barriers to youth engagement.

ACLU of Puerto Rico

The Latest

Press Release
Complejo Correccional de Bayamon

“Anti-democratic and unconstitutional”: ACLU of Puerto Rico rejects measure that would exclude incarcerated people from the right to vote

Instead of stripping rights as proposed by House Bill 1278, the organization urged rigorous oversight of the voting processes of the Department of Correction and Rehabilitation and the State Elections Commission
Issue Areas: Prisoners Rights, Voting Rights
Legislation
Jun 02, 2026

House Bill 1278

House Bill 1278 seeks to exclude from the right to vote people sentenced for one or more felonies whose sentence is 10 years or more. It was filed on May 14 by Representative Lisie Burgos Muñiz of Proyecto Dignidad and Representative Ensol Rodríguez Torres of the New Progressive Party, PNP. The measure was referred to the Government Committee, chaired by Representative Víctor Parés Otero. The committee has not convened public hearings on the bill.
Status: Activo