Congressman Serrano on Puerto Rico’s Plebiscite Results

Washington, DC – Congressman José E. Serrano today released the following statement on the plebiscite carried out yesterday, June 11, in Puerto Rico:

“The results of the plebiscite held yesterday in Puerto Rico, combined with those of the 2012 referendum where voters overwhelmingly voted in favor of ending Puerto Rico’s territorial status, show that a vast majority of the population wants change. While there was a lower voter turnout in this referendum when compared to past elections and referenda on the island, let’s be clear, voter turnout was in part lower because of an unnecessary and cynical boycott. Now Puerto Rico needs to come before Congress to ask for a change in status. In democracies, the will of the voters is respected, and Congress has a duty to listen and act upon these results so that Puerto Rico can be decolonized once and for all. As I have said in the past, after hundreds of years as a territory, the United States owes the island and its millions of American citizens that much.”

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Congressman José E. Serrano has represented The Bronx in Congress since 1990.  He is a Senior member of the House Appropriations Committee.