Can Puerto Rico vote in 2024? Where the U.S. territory stands after Tony Hinchcliffe's racist Trump rally joke

The propulsion for the Puerto Rican ballot successful the U.S. statesmanlike predetermination took halfway signifier connected Sunday erstwhile Kamala Harris made her entreaty to Puerto Rican voters the aforesaid time a comedian astatine Donald Trump's New York City rally made a racist gag astir the U.S. territory sparking outrage.

 So what are the rules astir Puerto Ricans voting successful the 2024 statesmanlike election?

Puerto Ricans are taxpaying U.S. citizens who are capable to vote, but their voting rights disagree depending connected whether they unrecorded successful Puerto Rico oregon successful 1 of the 50 U.S. states. 

For those who are residents surviving connected the island, they bash not get to ballot successful the November statesmanlike election. However, they did person a accidental choosing the statesmanlike nominees during the superior process.

Puerto Rico arsenic good arsenic different U.S. territories bash clasp primaries for some large governmental parties wherever they are granted delegates. 

While Puerto Ricans surviving successful the U.S. do not person electoral votes for president successful the general election, they tin elite practice to Congress. That delegate, however, lone gets to ballot successful procedural matters, not connected legislation. 

Puerto Rican citizens person had U.S. citizenship for much than one-hundred years. Once they reside successful a state, they tin registry and ballot successful the the state's local, authorities and national elections including casting a ballot for president. 

So for those surviving and voting successful immoderate of the 50 U.S. states, they person important governmental clout arsenic portion of the cardinal Latino voting bloc travel November.

That's wherever the entreaty to Puerto Rican voters successful the statesmanlike predetermination comes into play and could beryllium important to either campaigner winning. 

There are an estimated astir 5.8 cardinal Puerto Ricans surviving successful the 50 states and District of Columbia including a important fig surviving successful battleground states. 

There are much than 1.1 cardinal Puerto Ricans surviving successful Florida followed by much than 1 cardinal surviving successful New York, the 2 states with the largest Puerto Rican populations, according to census data.

But determination are besides much than 466,000 Puerto Ricans surviving successful Pennsylvania, much than 122,000 successful North Carolina, much than 131,000 successful Georgia and 69,000 successful Wisconsin.

On Sunday, the vice president unveiled her program for Puerto Ricans with a sojourn to a Puerto Rican edifice successful Pennsylvania to sermon her proposal. 

The transportation includes the instauration of an economical task unit wherever the authorities partners with backstage businesses to bring investments and much jobs to the territory. She has besides called for modernizing the island's struggling vigor grid. 

Her connection comes arsenic Harris is looking to enactment up enactment among Latino voters overall. 

The latest ABC News/Ipsos canvass released connected Sunday showed Harris leads Trump 64 percent to 34 percent among Hispanic voters. That's down 1 constituent from the 2020 exit polls. 

The vice president leads among Hispanic men by 27 points and 32 points among Hispanic women.

While Harris was gathering with Puerto Rican voters successful the Keystone State, Trump was holding a rally astatine Madison Square Garden wherever comedian Tony Hinchcliffe made his racist joke. 

In beforehand of a packed arena, helium called Puerto Rico a 'floating land of garbage' conscionable hours earlier the ex-president took the stage.

The fallout was accelerated and furious with adjacent immoderate Republican lawmakers successful states with ample Puerto Rican populations, similar Florida, denouncing it. 

Hours later, the Trump run besides tried to region itself from the gag claiming it does not bespeak Trump's views, but the ex-president himself did not denounce it successful his address. 

It remains to beryllium seen whether the harm is lasting, but determination was an avalanche of beardown reactions connected Sunday with a bid of megastars endorsing Harris and slamming the Trump rally remarks. 

Among those present publically backing the vice president is superstar Bad Bunny who shared her connection for Puerto Rico aggregate times connected societal media to his much than 45 cardinal followers.

Singer Jennifer Lopez besides shared the vice president's connection to immoderate 250 cardinal followers, and Ricky Martin blasted the clip of the Hinchcliffe trashing Puerto Rico portion backing Harris for president.