Authorized Statement: Alleged Scheme of Vote Coercion, Voter Control, and Electoral Manipulation Inside Prisons

Authorized statement by Annette Martínez Orabona, executive director of the ACLU of Puerto Rico, regarding a possible scheme of coercion, control of the vote, and electoral manipulation inside prisons:

The right to vote is a fundamental constitutional protection and a cornerstone of a democratic system. At the ACLU of Puerto Rico, we defend that right for all people, including people deprived of their liberty.

The way a person exercises their vote, however, must be absolutely free and voluntary, without threats, blackmail, or violent acts forcing a person to vote a certain way for the benefit of any particular candidate.

This is even more significant when we are talking about people deprived of their liberty, a population under the absolute custody of the state and one that, as the Morales Feliciano case demonstrated, has been subjected to institutional violence, deficient security conditions, and insufficient and inadequate food and health services.

Just as we advocate for the protection of the right to vote, we expect full transparency and a genuine commitment from federal and state authorities in the exercise of their duties.

Abandoning an investigation and the available evidence regarding a possible fraudulent voting scheme inside prisons undermines the trust of those of us who believe in democracy and are committed to voting as the highest expression of the will of the people. Participatory democracy requires integrity in electoral processes and certainty about their results.

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In response to ProPublica’s investigative report, “Prosecutors Had a Drugs-for-Votes Scheme ‘Locked Up.’ Under Trump, They Were Told Not to Pursue Charges.”