Under a bill entitled the Puerto Rico Democracy Act, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico would be forced to vote every eight years on whether or not they wish to become a state.
Puerto Rico predates the United States. For centuries it fell under Spanish jurisdiction until the Spanish -American War. Its strategic position recommended to the government that it be snapped up along with the Philippines, Guam, and other territories. Repeatedly the government has tried to entice it into statehood, but that move has been consistently rejected. A vocal minority demands independence, but the people of the island do not want that either. The status quo preserves their distinctive identity in the international community and Olympic sports as well as their connection to the United States.
Will repeated elections convince the Puerto Ricans to commit to statehood? Probably not, although Democrats certainly hope that it will. They expect that the poor island will vote for their party. Until now. Puerto Ricans, as Spanish speaking peole in the Caribbean, have a sensitive nerve when it comes to Yankee Imperialism. Anything that looks like imperialism, even a naval base, creates a stir.
This forces vote, after repeated rejections, would be an imperialist move on the part of the Democratic Party against the choice made repeatedly by Puerto Rico. It would likely strengthen the independence movement, though not enough for that island to vote for sovereignty. Republicans can stop this and accuse the Democrats in Congress of imperialism all at the same time. Should be fun!
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