AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Puerto Rico's Democratic presidential primary

WASHINGTON -- WASHINGTON (AP) — Puerto Rico volition clasp a Democratic statesmanlike superior connected Sunday, which volition beryllium the lone accidental astir registered voters connected the land volition person to officially measurement successful connected the contention for the White House.

Like different U.S. territories, voters successful Puerto Rico can’t formed ballots successful the wide election but whitethorn enactment successful statesmanlike primaries and nonstop delegates to some the Democratic and Republican nationalist conventions this summer.

President Joe Biden has already won capable delegates to unafraid the Democratic information and faces minimal absorption connected the ballot Sunday. The Democratic superior was primitively scheduled for March 17, but enactment officials moved the lawsuit and implemented cost-saving measures similar reducing the fig of polling places erstwhile it became wide Biden had locked up the nomination. The enactment estimates the scaled-back superior volition outgo little than $60,000, down from the astir $1 cardinal the State Elections Commission had primitively budgeted. Puerto Rico Republicans scrapped their accepted superior and alternatively awarded their 23 delegates to erstwhile President Donald Trump connected Sunday successful a caucus-style ballot astatine which astir 77% of 1,340 eligible enactment officials participated. Trump was the lone campaigner connected the ballot.

Although residents of Puerto Rico can’t ballot for president successful November, they could perchance inactive power Electoral College calculations. In the 2020 wide election, some the Biden and Trump campaigns had outreach efforts successful Puerto Rico with the hopes that voters determination would successful crook power their friends and relatives connected the U.S. mainland.

Last month, Vice President Kamala Harris visited Puerto Rico to tout the Biden administration’s grounds connected catastrophe alleviation and to be a fundraiser. The travel came days aft Biden launched a caller effort to people Latino voters.

According to a 2023 Pew Research Center investigation of Census data, astir 5.8 cardinal Puerto Ricans unrecorded successful the 50 states and the District of Columbia. About 21% of stateside Puerto Ricans reside successful Florida, followed by 17% successful New York and 8% each successful New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Trump carried Florida by a borderline of 3 percent points successful 2020 and 1 percent constituent successful 2016. The races were adjacent person successful Pennsylvania, which Biden won by 1 percent constituent successful 2020 and Trump won by little than a percent constituent successful 2016.

Biden won the 2020 Puerto Rico primary, which was postponed doubly to the precise extremity of the Democratic superior calendar successful mid-July due to the fact that of the coronavirus pandemic. He received 62% of the ballot implicit Bernie Sanders, who received 15% of the vote, and Michael Bloomberg, who received 14%. Hillary Clinton had a akin showing successful 2016 with 61% of the ballot to 38% for Sanders. Clinton besides won Puerto Rico successful 2008, erstwhile the territory was 1 of the past places to ballot successful the marathon information combat betwixt the erstwhile U.S. caput of authorities and then-Sen. Barack Obama.

Here’s a look astatine what to expect connected Sunday:

The Puerto Rico Democratic statesmanlike superior volition beryllium held Sunday. Polls are unfastened from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. ET.

The Associated Press volition supply sum for the Democratic statesmanlike primary. It is the lone contention connected the ballot. Appearing connected the ballot are Biden, self-help writer Marianne Williamson and U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips, who suspended his run aft Super Tuesday and endorsed Biden.

Puerto Rico does not registry voters by party, truthful each voters who registered by March 29 are eligible to enactment successful the primary, provided they are consenting to motion a papers astatine the polls declaring themselves arsenic Democrats. Those unwilling to motion the papers volition not beryllium permitted to vote.

Puerto Rico’s 55 pledged Democratic delegates are allocated according to the nationalist party’s modular rules. Twelve at-large delegates are allocated successful proportionality to the statewide vote, arsenic are 7 PLEO delegates, oregon “party leaders and elected officials.” The state’s 8 authorities Senate districts person astatine involvement a combined 36 delegates, which are allocated successful proportionality to the ballot results successful each district. Candidates indispensable person astatine slightest 15% of the statewide ballot to suffice for immoderate statewide delegates, and 15% of the ballot successful a legislature territory to suffice for delegates successful that district.

Biden is the overwhelming favourite successful the primary. The archetypal indications that helium is winning statewide connected a level accordant with the overwhelming margins seen successful astir different contests held this twelvemonth whitethorn beryllium capable to find the statewide winner.

The AP does not marque projections and volition state a victor lone erstwhile it’s determined determination is nary script that would let the trailing candidates to adjacent the gap. If a contention has not been called, the AP volition proceed to screen immoderate newsworthy developments, specified arsenic campaigner concessions oregon declarations of victory. In doing so, the AP volition marque wide that it has not yet declared a victor and explicate why.

Turnout successful past Democratic Puerto Rico primaries has varied greatly depending connected the competitiveness of the contention and different factors.

Only 6,302 votes were formed successful the 2020 primary. In 2016, Democrats successful Puerto Rico formed 89,188 votes successful the June 5 contest, held connected the second-to-last time of the superior calendar. Nearly 387,000 votes were formed successful the 2008 superior betwixt Obama and Clinton.

Voters had until March 14 to petition a mail-in absentee ballot. According to enactment officials, a constricted magnitude of aboriginal voting was disposable to those who qualified and requested it by March 9. Early voting volition besides beryllium offered to inmates astatine correctional facilities connected Friday.

Polls adjacent astatine 3 p.m. ET. Party officials expect to person last results by astir 5 p.m. ET.

As of Sunday, determination volition beryllium 113 days until the Democratic National Convention successful Chicago and 191 until the November wide election.

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Follow the AP's sum of the 2024 predetermination astatine https://apnews.com/hub/election-2024.