Puerto Rico officials reject request to extend voter registration

Officials in Puerto Rico have rejected a petition to extend a voter registration deadline following an outcry over long lines formed by those seeking to participate in this year’s general election.

The island’s two main parties, the Popular Democratic Party and the New Progressive Party, voted against the request late Monday, as did the alternate president of the elections commission. Those living in Puerto Rico have until September 21 to register. Members of two other parties, the Puerto Rican Independence Party and Citizen Victory Movement, which was created in recent years, had requested that the deadline be pushed to a month before the November 5 election amid concerns that people will be locked out of voting.

“Not everyone can come and stand in a kilometres-long line,” said John F Rullán Schmidt, executive director of a volunteer group called Somos Más, which seeks to promote citizen participation in politics. He noted how earlier this week, some Puerto Ricans stayed in line until 3 a.m. to ensure they could vote. He warned the group would sue to extend the voter registration deadline if no one else does.