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A coalition of voices from the Citizen Victory Movement (MVC), the Puerto Rican Independence Party (PIP), and the Popular Democratic Party is urging the State Elections Commission (SEC) on Monday to prolong the registration period in order to address shortcomings in the electoral process ahead of the Electoral Registry deadline.
“For over two years, we have consistently highlighted the numerous challenges the Commission faces, such as the lack of accessible options for citizens, the shutdown of the JIPs [Permanent Registration Boards] without sufficient technological support, and inadequate preparation for citizen engagement,” stated MVC Electoral Commissioner Lillian Aponte Dones. “Despite our alerts and numerous recommendations, the SEC has disregarded them, resulting in the current circumstances we are encountering: severe administrative shortcomings, significant barriers to JIP accessibility, and an unprecedented logjam in the eRE [electronic voter registration] system that was launched tardily and without proper testing. In recent weeks, there has been a worrisome rise in halted electoral transactions, surpassing 65,000, jeopardizing the voting rights of thousands.”
“Our plea is straightforward: everyone with a pending or rejected transaction should be granted extra time to finalize their process and thereby ensure their ability to vote,” she emphasized. “This is essential.”
The PIP, via its Organization Secretary Adrián González Costa, urgently called upon the SEC to extend the deadline that concludes this Saturday.
“The Electoral Code explicitly states that for this election cycle, registrations, reactivations, and transfers can occur up to 30 days prior to the electoral event,” said González Costa, who is a candidate for a Senate seat.
