Judge Rules on Early Voting in Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico is facing significant delays in certifying election results nearly a month after its historic general elections, with a recent court ruling complicating the process further. Judge Raúl A. Candelario López mandated the State Elections Commission to count early votes after verifying IDs, regardless of address discrepancies, citing the legal framework's reliability. This ruling was prompted by a lawsuit from voters of the pro-statehood New Progressive Party, who claimed their voting rights were being violated. In response, electoral commissioner Karla Angleró of the opposing Popular Democratic Party plans to appeal, raising concerns about potential voter fraud linked to mismatched addresses. The election workers are racing against time to certify ballots by December 20 or 22, with a looming deadline for the official swearing-in on January 2, amid ongoing investigations into electoral irregularities. Preliminary results indicate the New Progressive Party leads the gubernatorial race, adding urgency to finalize the election outcomes by the end of December, as mandated by local law.