By james art 
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Puerto Rico is holding an election that will be historic, regardless of which of the top two gubernatorial candidates wins.
If Jennifer Gonzalez of the pro-state New Progressive Party wins Tuesday’s election, it will mark the first time in the island’s history that the party has secured three consecutive terms.
If Juan Dalmau, who is running for the Puerto Rico Independence Party and the Civic Victory Movement, wins, it would be the first victory for a candidate who does not represent either of the two main parties that have dominated the island’s politics for decades.
Following Gonzalez and Dalmau in the polls is Jesus Manuel Ortiz of the People’s Democratic Party, which supports the island’s territorial status. Javier Jiménez of Project Dignity, a conservative party founded in 2019, is also running.
For decades, the New Progressive Party and the People’s Democratic Party would receive at least 90% of all votes, but that began to change in 2016, with newer parties attracting more voters amid economic and political turmoil.
“It was a very big change,” said Jorge Schmidt Nieto, a political analyst and university professor.
Delayed results
Results were not expected until late Tuesday, with analysts warning it could be several days before that happens. During the 2020 election, it took four days for the authorities to release the preliminary results.
Puerto Rico’s state election commission is still counting more than 220,000 early and absentee ballots it has received, with officials from various political parties saying the process is slow. The counting of these votes began more than two weeks later than usual.
Jessica Padilla, the commission’s vice chairwoman, said at a press conference that about 40 percent of those votes had been counted as of Monday.
“We will not take this validation process lightly,” she said.
More than 5,000 inmates out of about 7,400 total in Puerto Rico also voted, though it is unclear how many of those votes were counted.
The commission and other officials are also still receiving allegations of election crimes, including from people who said they received confirmations for early voting when they did not make such a request.
Meanwhile, power generators were sent to more than two dozen polling stations to ensure electricity given the chronic power outages that have plagued Puerto Rico in recent years.
A question of status and token voting
On Tuesday, voters will also be asked for the seventh time about Puerto Rico’s political status. The non-binding referendum offers three options: statehood, independence and independence with free association, where issues such as foreign affairs, US citizenship and use of the US dollar will be negotiated.
Regardless of the outcome, the change in status requires approval by the US Congress.
Also, on Tuesday, Puerto Ricans can support Kamala Harris or Donald Trump in a symbolic vote if they wish. While Puerto Ricans are US citizens, those on the island are not allowed to vote in US presidential elections.
Nearly 2 million voters are eligible to take part in Tuesday’s election, but it remains to be seen how many will do so. Voter apathy has dominated recent elections.
Copyright 2024 NPR