Referendum: Puerto Ricans say yes to US statehood

SAN JUAN: Puerto Ricans voted for the first time in favour of the island becoming a US state in a non-binding referendum, election officials said on Wednesday.

The Caribbean island is now a self-governing US territory. The referendum was held on Tuesday along with the US presidential and congressional elections. A total of 61% of voters said ‘yes’ to statehood, the local election commission said, citing a tally of 95.7% of the votes cast. The referendum’s main sponsor, Governor Luis Fortuno, failed to win the re-election, however.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 8^th, 2012.