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The governing board of the Popular Democratic Party (PDP) plans to challenge a decision by the Puerto Rico Supreme Court regarding the legitimacy of over 4,000 mail-in ballots.
Electoral officials from four different parties have raised concerns about the origins of these votes, which may influence various electoral contests.
However, Judge Raúl Candelario López instructed the State Elections Commission to include all mail-in votes in the tally, regardless of discrepancies between the voters’ registered addresses and those provided on the ballots.
“The transparency and validity of the electoral process are essential tenets of our democracy,” stated PDP Secretary General Juan Luis Camacho Semidei in a formal announcement. “We cannot support the validation of ballots whose origins are dubious and that undermine the will of the electorate as expressed at the polls.”
Camacho Semidei reaffirmed that the PDP will always uphold the voting rights and honor election outcomes, but emphasized the importance of a just, clear, and transparent electoral procedure.
“We will take our case to the Supreme Court to ensure the adherence to the rules and procedures governing the counting and validation of votes,” he remarked.
The PDP’s evaluation is based on the potential effects these disputed votes could have on the results for the mayoral position in Santa Isabel and several legislative positions.
“The PDP is confident that the Supreme Court will uphold the principles of electoral fairness and guarantee that every legitimate vote is counted transparently,” Camacho added.
