Voters Support the Decolonization Mechanisms in the Self-Determination Act of 2020
By Edoardo Ortiz
Introduction
The debate over changing Puerto Rico’s political status has historically centered around outcomes and their desirability. Should Puerto Rico be a state? Should Puerto Rico be a country? Should it be something in between?
Recently, however, the decolonization process itself has begun to receive more attention and scrutiny. A lot of this attention stems from the fact that, after 6 status referendums since 1967 and no significant response or action from Congress, many are beginning to wonder if new strategies must be employed to move the issue forward.
A new proposal seeks to ensure Congressional attention, remove undemocratic obstacles, and ensure an equal playing field for all possible status options to ensure an effective and fair choice.
The Self-Determination Act of 2020 is a new proposal that seeks to build a framework for a fair referendum process that will unite proponents of all decolonizing status options and Congress to work together. Supporters hope that this approach will avoid repeating the historical pattern of Puerto Rican action, and Congressional inaction.
In essence, the bill creates two main bodies — a Status Convention and a Congressional Negotiating Commission.
The Status Convention will be made up of elected Puerto Rican delegates who will have the power to:
Debate and draft definitions of non-territorial status options
Draft transition plans for each status option
Choose a self-determination option and its transition plan to present to the people of Puerto Rico in a referendum.
The Congressional Negotiating Commission will be made up of a bipartisan group of Congressional Representatives from key committees, the Resident Commissioner, and a Department of Justice official. This Commision will advise and develop recommendations to support the Status Convention delegates as they define self-determination options and their respective transition plans. The Commission will have the power to authorize studies, hold public hearings and take testimony in their efforts to advise the Status Convention. They must also provide reports, studies and findings every 12 months to the Speaker of the House.
The ultimate goal is to empower Puerto Ricans of all status preferences to participate in a fair and informed negotiation for every self-determination option and its transition plan. Thanks to the Congressional Commision, these efforts would get full attention from relevant Congressional leadership, removing any obstacles or objections Congress might have and thus clear the way for a final decision.
In January 2021, Data for Progress asked likely voters about whether they would support or oppose a process mirroring the Self-Determination Act proposed by Congresswomen Velazquez and Ocasio-Cortez.
Results
We find that core mechanisms of the Puerto Rico Self-Determination Act enjoy significant support and very minimal opposition. Overall, 57 percent of likely voters support this proposal, with only 22 percent opposing. This support also holds across party lines: Democrats support the plan by a nearly 50 point margin, Independents support it by a margin of 33 point, and even Republicans support it by a margin of 18 points. It is notable to see such strong net support among Republicans (+18 points). With majority support among Democrats and Independents, and near majority support among Republicans (49 percent), there is clear bipartisan support for this effort among voters.
Conclusion
The Self-Determination Act, while not entirely novel, presents the first time Congress could seriously consider an active process in decolonization instead of washing their hands of their role in holding on to colonial possessions. Then, Puerto Ricans could finally make a choice that sticks.
Yet, the bill is not without its detractors — principally those trying to advocate for the results of the recent 2020 referendum in which Statehood received a majority (53 percent) of the vote. If the results of the 2020 referendum are given the same neglect as the majority outcomes in 1967 (for developing the Commonwealth) , 2012 (rejecting the Territorial status) and 2017 (Statehood), then the question will inevitably need to turn to reevaluating proposals like the Self-Determination Act which don’t seek to replace direct democracy, but make it more effective.
If this bill, or one like it can bridge the gap between Puerto Ricans our results show that the American electorate will support them.
Edoardo Ortiz (@edoardo_ortiz), MPP, is originally from Bayamón and studied at the University of Puerto Rico and the University of Chicago. He specializes in policy research, focusing on economic policy, and Puerto Rico history and economics.
Survey Methodology:
From January 29 to February 1, 2021, Data for Progress conducted a survey of 1128 likely voters nationally using web panel respondents. The sample was weighted to be representative of likely voters by age, gender, education, race, and voting history. The survey was conducted in English. The margin of error is ±3 percentage points.