No ballots? Why some Puerto Ricans couldn't cast a primary vote.
Puerto Rico partially delayed its Sunday primary elections after voting centers ran out of ballots. Incredulous voters and politicians are calling for answers from the election commission as the U.S. territory prepares to pick up voting on Aug. 16.
An official turns away voters from a voting center without enough ballots in Carolina, Puerto Rico, Aug. 9, 2020. Trucks filled with ballots were still parked at the election commission's parking lot on Sunday afternoon.
Danica Coto/AP
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico on Sunday was forced to partially suspend voting for primaries marred by a lack of ballots as officials called on the president of the United States territory鈥檚 elections commission to resign.
The primaries for voting centers that had not received ballots by early afternoon are expected to be rescheduled, while voting would continue elsewhere, the commission said.
鈥淚 have never seen on American soil something like what has just been done here in Puerto Rico. It鈥檚 an embarrassment to our government and our people,鈥� said Pedro Pierluisi, who is running against Gov. Wanda V谩zquez, to become the nominee for the pro-statehood New Progressive Party.
Meanwhile, Ms. V谩zquez called the situation 鈥渁 disaster鈥� and demanded the resignation of the president of the elections commission.
鈥淭hey made the people of Puerto Rico, not the candidates, believe that they were prepared,鈥� she said. 鈥淭oday the opposite was evident. They lied.鈥�
A federal control board that oversees Puerto Rico鈥檚 finances issued a statement saying the 鈥渄ysfunctional鈥� voting process was unacceptable and blamed it on what it said was inefficiency by the elections commission.
The unprecedented situation comes as voters ventured out amid a spike in COVID-19 cases across Puerto Rico, an island of 3.2 million people that has reported more than 12,800 probable cases, more than 8,500 confirmed cases, and at least 274 deaths.
Gireliz Zambrana, a federal employee, worried about the number of people gathered at a voting center in R铆o Grande as they huddled together while waiting for it to open.
鈥淭hey were trying to get away from the sun,鈥� he said, adding that he never got to cast his vote.
The president of the governor鈥檚 party, Thomas Rivera Schatz, along with the president of the main opposition Popular Democratic Party, held an unusual joint press conference and said they agreed the remaining primaries should be held on Aug. 16, a move that Ms. V谩zquez said she supported. The two parties are both holding their primary elections with the winning nominees among six gubernatorial candidates in November鈥檚 general election.
Other politicians argued that the entire primary be scrapped and held at another date.
An incredulous Mr. Schatz noted that there were still trucks with ballots inside parked at the commission鈥檚 headquarters as they spoke there on Sunday afternoon.
鈥淭he question is, why haven鈥檛 they left?鈥� he said.
It was not immediately clear how many voters were turned away or how many centers received delayed ballots. A commission spokeswoman said the president was not granting interviews.
To further complicate things, Edgardo Rom谩n, president of the Bar Association of Puerto Rico, told The Associated Press that it鈥檚 unclear what alternatives are legally viable because the island鈥檚 electoral law is not clear.
鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 contemplate this scenario,鈥� he said.
At least one voter filed a lawsuit against the commission and the electoral officials of the two main parties late Sunday via the American Civil Liberties Union.
The situation infuriated voters and politicians of all stripes as they blamed Puerto Rico鈥檚 elections commission and demanded an explanation for ballots reaching only a handful of voting centers by the afternoon.
鈥淭his is indignant, abusive, and an attempt against the democracy of our country,鈥� said Marcos Cruz, mayor of the northern town of Vega Baja that was still awaiting ballots.
Meanwhile, officials from the island鈥檚 two main parties scrambled to find solutions as they urged voters to still show up at centers that remained open late into the night.
Yadira Pizarro, a teacher, ran out of patience at a shuttered voting center in Carolina where she had waited more than four hours under a blistering sun.
鈥淚 cannot believe this. This is some serious negligence,鈥� she said.
One of the most closely watched races on Sunday is that of the pro-statehood Progressive New Party, which pits two candidates who served as replacement governors following last year鈥檚 political turmoil. Ms. V谩zquez faces Mr. Pierluisi, who represented Puerto Rico in Congress from 2009 to 2017.
Mr. Pierluisi briefly served as governor after Gov. Ricardo Rossell贸 resigned in August 2019 following widespread street protests over a profanity-laced chat that was leaked and government corruption. But Puerto Rico鈥檚 Supreme Court ruled that Ms. V谩zquez, then the justice secretary, was constitutionally next in line because there was no secretary of state.
Meanwhile, the main opposition Popular Democratic Party, which supports Puerto Rico鈥檚 current political status as a U.S. territory, is holding a primary for the first time in its 82-year history. Three people are vying to become governor 鈥� San Juan Mayor Carmen Yul铆n Cruz, known for her public spats with U.S. President Donald Trump following the devastation of Hurricane Maria; Puerto Rico Sen. Eduardo Bhatia; and Carlos Delgado, mayor of the northwest coastal town of Isabela.
This story was reported by The Associated Press.
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