[ad_1]
Judge Jessica D. Padilla Rivera, alternate chairperson of the Puerto Rico State Elections Commission (CEE), denied a motion filed by Election Commissioner Anibal Vega Borges of the New Progressive Party in which she suggested that early ballots for the general election be sent by regular mail, without certification.
The alternate chair’s decision, which ended the split among commissioners on the issue, was contained in a resolution shared with commissioners tonight that explains the reasons that led her to make the decision.
“Guided by the privileges and protections that the sacred right to vote must protect, we are forced to conclude that registered mail provides a greater level of security in the delivery of ballots, something that the EEC and voters have not had control over for some time,” Develop documentation that highlights the need to maintain process safety.
Apart from, Resolution CEE-RS-24-014, issued Friday evening, includes the president’s decisions on six other disagreements among the commissioners, one of which concerns requiring the minimum age for early voting, allowing every voter to cast this ballot at 60 years old.
Likewise, it decided to approve the Absentee and Early Voting Ordinance and requests for early voting, as addressed in a document that will soon be released to the public through the CEE website.
Vega Borges, who introduced the proposal during a full committee meeting, argued that the Act Implementing Petitions for Referendum Statehood (Law No. 165-2020) states that “no request for early voting or for the delivery of a ballot to a voter will be processed by the commission or as certified mail.”
According to the attorney, opting for regular mail means the EEC can save nearly $2 million in the budget allocated for ballots.
Due to the lack of consensus among election commissioners on Vega-Borges’ proposal, the final decision has been in the hands of the president since the beginning of this week.
[ad_2]
Source link
