Puerto Rico Officials Deny Extension of Voter Registration Deadline
Decision follows public outcry over long lines and insufficient resources at registration centers.
- The Popular Democratic Party and the New Progressive Party voted against extending the voter registration deadline, which remains September 21.
- The Puerto Rican Independence Party and Citizen Victory Movement had requested an extension to a month before the November 5 election.
- Critics, including the American Civil Liberties Union, argue that chronic power outages and a lack of resources have hindered voter registration efforts.
- The state elections commission faces a backlog of tens of thousands of electronically registered voters yet to be recorded.
- Despite long lines and registration challenges, only 62,400 new voters have registered, less than half the number from 2020.