Can Puerto Rico participate in the US presidential election? What to know amid backlash from Trump's rally comment

Washington – Puerto Rico voters angry about a offensive remark There is little recourse across the island at former President Donald Trump's campaign rally at Madison Square Garden in New York on Sunday because residents of the territory are not allowed to vote in the presidential election.

But there are millions of Puerto Ricans living in one of the 50 voting states. According to the Pew Research Center, Puerto Ricans make up the second largest Hispanic voter group, with nearly 6 million voters living in the mainland U.S. in 2021. Pennsylvania In particular, there is a sizable Puerto Rican population whose votes could make a difference in the battleground state.

days before election dayTrump's campaign is trying to distance itself from comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, who made several racist and crude insults toward minorities at the rally, including calling Puerto Rico a “floating island of trash.”

Can Puerto Ricans vote in US presidential elections?

According to the 2020 census, 3.4 million residents live on the island of Puerto Rico. These Puerto Rico residents are not allowed to vote in presidential elections, although they are U.S. citizens and can vote in the Republican and Democratic presidential primaries.

Puerto Ricans can vote in federal elections if they live in one of the 50 states or Washington, DC and are registered to vote.

What did Tony Hinchcliffe say about Puerto Rico at the Trump rally?

Racist jokes from comedian Tony Hinchcliffewho performs under the stage name Kill Tony, overshadowed Trump's actual final message.

“I don't know if you know this, but right now there's literally a floating island of trash in the middle of the ocean. I think her name is Puerto Rico,” Hinchcliffe said.

Trump's campaign said Hinchcliffe's jokes, which included offensive jokes about blacks and Latinos, were not pre-approved or vetted by the campaign.

“This joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign,” senior adviser Danielle Alvarez said in a statement.

Why is Puerto Rico not a state?

There has been a debate for years over the status of Puerto Rico, which became a U.S. territory in 1898 after Spain ceded it to the U.S. following the Spanish-American War.

Congress was reluctant to grant statehood to Puerto Rico because of the potential economic costs and concerns about how it would change the balance of power in Washington.

If it became a state, two senators would be added to the Senate and it would receive proportional representation in the House of Representatives.

Puerto Rico has held a number of non-binding votes on its relationship with the U.S., most recently in 2020, in which more than half of voters said the island should be granted statehood.

What other US territories are excluded from presidential elections?

As in Puerto Rico, residents of these U.S. territories cannot vote in presidential elections: American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

With the exception of residents of American Samoa, everyone born in the other four American territories are U.S. citizens and can vote in federal elections if they live in one of the 50 states or Washington, DC. Residents of American Samoa who are U.S. citizens are not eligible to vote in federal elections, even if they reside in one of the states.