Voting Guide for the Puerto Rico Elections

Here’s everything you need to know to cast your vote on November 5

By:

Danisamuel Soto

Política en Arroz y Habichuelas

Published in

October 31, 2024

There are nine million Puerto Ricans in the world.

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Nota editorial: Esta nota se produjo gracias a una subvención del María Fund, en colaboración con Mentes Puertorriqueñas en Acción y La Escuela de Liderazgo. 9 Millones, junto a estas otras dos organizaciones, forma parte de la coalición #PrendeTuVoto.

Editorial Note: This story was made possible thanks to a grant from María Fund, in collaboration with Mentes Puertorriqueñas en Acción and Escuela de Liderazgo. 9 Millones, as well as these two organizations, are part of the #PrendeTuVoto coalition.

Voting is a right, but it also requires preparation. If you want to make your vote count with ease, this article gives you a step-by-step guide to plan out your Election Day, including what to bring, what to expect from your ballots and how to avoid common voting mistakes.

On Tuesday, November 5, each voter can expect five ballots that will be scanned in voting machines. Power outages are likely to happen, which could result in longer wait times. Considering this, we recommend that you bring the following:

voter ID, driver's ID or passport

water bottle

snacks

chair

hand fan

umbrella

portable battery

sunblock

a good book

When should you arrive?

For voters, polling places open at 9:00 a.m., and close at 5:00 p.m. Once you arrive at your voting institution, look for your designated polling place (colegio electoral, in Spanish). Outside, there will be signs specifying who votes where. They are divided by the first letter of registered voters’ last name. For example, one of the colegios might serve people whose last names range from A to D.

This timing allows you to enjoy a relaxing breakfast and prepare to vote. Check in with your friends and family to see if they have transportation to their polling place, so they can prepare and make it before 5:00 p.m.

You cannot be denied your right to vote if you made it to the line by 5:00pm, even if the length of the line significantly prolongs polling place operations.

This video is only available in Spanish.

Know who you are voting for

When you arrive at the polling place, officials will check with a lamp if your fingers have election ink, to ensure that you have not yet voted. Then, they will find your name on a list, ask for your signature, and hand you the 5 ballots you’ll be able to cast.

Three of these ballots contain the candidates who are part of two Puerto Rican government branches: the executive branch—represented on the state and municipal ballots—and the legislative branch. On the state ballot, you are allowed to vote for two offices: governor and the resident commissioner in Washington D.C.; on the legislative ballot, for one district representative, two district senators, one at-large representative and one at-large senator; and on the municipal ballot, for mayor and for the municipal legislature, which varies depending on the population of the municipality.

The remaining two ballots measure Puerto Rican sentiment on current political issues, but do not have any binding weight on the reality they seek to measure:

The presidential ballot: is a symbolic ballot. Residents of Puerto Rico do not have the right to vote for president or the U.S. Congress. If you are Puerto Rican, you can only vote for the presidency and other federal government positions if your official residence is in a U.S. state and you have not applied for absentee voting in Puerto Rico. Any US citizen that moves to Puerto Rico and registers to vote loses their right to vote for President as well.
The plebiscite ballot: Similar to other plebiscites regarding the islands’ political status, this ballot does not have the legislative approval of the U.S. Congress and lacks its endorsement. Therefore, these results are not considered binding or enforceable by the federal government. On this ballot, statehood, independence and sovereignty in free association with the United States will appear as options.

Vote correctly

In our practice ballot, an integral vote would be done by marking an X under the symbol of one of the three parties: Los Chancleteros, Los Paqueteros o Los Pleneros.

There are a variety of ways to cast a vote. The first is the one most people are familiar with: the integral vote, which is cast by making a single mark inside the box below the symbol of a political party.

Traditionally, this way of voting is known as “Rajar la papeleta”, which means you mark a single X on all three ballots. Those who vote this way are known as the “corazón del rollo, Spanish for heart of the matter, in reference to those who unconditionally support the party.

In our practice ballot, a mixed vote would be done by marking an X under one of the party symbols, and then voting for another party’s candidate within the seats you choose. For example, you could mark an X under Los Pleneros, but give your 2 eligible district senator votes to Llorona y Ceiba, running for Los Paqueteros. The remaining eligible votes would automatically go to candidates running for Los Pleneros in other seats.

Mixed voting is when you mark an X below a party’s box, and then mark an X in the box next to a candidate of another party.

Historically, this type of vote has been associated with “pivazos votes” or “melon votes”, in reference to independence supporters who supported a candidate (or candidates) running for the Popular Democratic Party, but marked an X below the party's symbol. People used to do this so their party could continue to be registered, but the Electoral Code of 2020 limited this formalization to parties that obtain 2% of all integral votes. Parties that don’t manage to get this percent of votes have to collect endorsements to re-register the electoral franchise.

Then, there’s the vote by candidacy, in which you choose the candidates of your preference by marking an X next to the name of each candidate instead of aligning yourself with a particular party. You must not exceed the number of votes allowed for each position.

In our practice ballot, a voting by write-in would be done by going to the final column, writing the name of who you want to nominate for mayor, and marking an X in the square next to the name.

Finally, you can also vote by write-in, which consists of writing the candidate’s full name in the last column and marking an X next to the box beside the name. As it is a direct nomination, you will not find a photo of that person on the ballot, since they are not registered as an official candidate.

Remember that you must always mark the X inside the box so that your vote will be validated by the counting machine, or if counted by hand, the election official will be certain of your intention. If you make a mark outside the box, the machine may warn you that the ballot has an error and the vote cannot be processed.

If the ballot warns you that it has an error, or that you voted for more candidates than you are allowed, you have the right to request two additional ballots for each of the 5 ballots. In other words, you have three attempts per ballot.

Get ready to vote

We are days away from making a key decision for the future of the archipelago. 9 Millones has developed the following guides to help you cast an informed vote and so you know how to participate in the process as an electoral official:

Share this guide with your friends and watch our video explaining in Arroz y Habichuelas how each voting method works. Spoiler alert: You're going to like our candidates.