• This is a political forum that is non-biased/non-partisan and treats every person's position on topics equally. This debate forum is not aligned to any political party. In today's politics, many ideas are split between and even within all the political parties. Often we find ourselves agreeing on one platform but some topics break our mold. We are here to discuss them in a civil political debate. If this is your first visit to our political forums, be sure to check out the RULES. Registering for debate politics is necessary before posting. Register today to participate - it's free!

Florida Congressman Says Displaced Puerto Ricans Shouldn't Be Able To Vote

biff_poindexter

biff_poindexter

Banned
Joined
Apr 26, 2018
Messages
907
Reaction score
323
Location
Nampa, ID
Gender
Male
Political Leaning
Independent
Florida congressional candidate slammed for saying displaced Puerto Ricans shouldn't 'be allowed' to vote in state | Fox News

The question should be asked...Should displaced Puerto Ricans (or should I say US Citizens) be allowed to register to vote?

From the article: “It’s not lost on me that I think the Democrat Party is really hoping that they can change the voting registers in a lot of counties and districts, and I don’t think they should be allowed to do that,” Ward said at the Mount Dora Republican Club forum.

Too bad these weren't displaced Cubans I guess -- maybe that same Florida congressman would have tried to fast-track full voting rights -- as long as they were the Rubio kind of Cuban *wink wink*
 
What he said shouldn't be "allowed" is the Democrats using them to pad voting rolls for partisan advantage, not that the people themselves shouldn't be allowed to vote.
 
biff_poindexter said:
Florida congressional candidate slammed for saying displaced Puerto Ricans shouldn't 'be allowed' to vote in state | Fox News

The question should be asked...Should displaced Puerto Ricans (or should I say US Citizens) be allowed to register to vote?

From the article: “It’s not lost on me that I think the Democrat Party is really hoping that they can change the voting registers in a lot of counties and districts, and I don’t think they should be allowed to do that,” Ward said at the Mount Dora Republican Club forum.

Too bad these weren't displaced Cubans I guess -- maybe that same Florida congressman would have tried to fast-track full voting rights -- as long as they were the Rubio kind of Cuban *wink wink*
Click to expand...

I think his voting rights should be revoked. The PR's who are now Florida residents are also American citizens and anyone that questions their right to vote is un-American.
 
Harshaw said:
What he said shouldn't be "allowed" is the Democrats using them to pad voting rolls for partisan advantage, not that the people themselves shouldn't be allowed to vote.
Click to expand...

So you think they shouldn't be able to vote for Democrats?
One man one vote is now "padding for partisan advantage"? Too much. You lose.
 
so...is this displacement permanent?

are they now florida residents?

if so, then yes...they should be allowed to vote

if not, then no...they shouldnt be allowed to vote as non residents of the state

put them on a boat, or make them residents of florida....they cant have it both ways
 
gdgyva said:
so...is this displacement permanent?

are they now florida residents?

if so, then yes...they should be allowed to vote

if not, then no...they shouldnt be allowed to vote as non residents of the state

put them on a boat, or make them residents of florida....they cant have it both ways
Click to expand...

Having no home and losing the right to vote??
That's not part of the constitution.
At least it hasn't been for a very long time.
 
biff_poindexter said:
Florida congressional candidate slammed for saying displaced Puerto Ricans shouldn't 'be allowed' to vote in state | Fox News

The question should be asked...Should displaced Puerto Ricans (or should I say US Citizens) be allowed to register to vote?

From the article: “It’s not lost on me that I think the Democrat Party is really hoping that they can change the voting registers in a lot of counties and districts, and I don’t think they should be allowed to do that,” Ward said at the Mount Dora Republican Club forum.

Too bad these weren't displaced Cubans I guess -- maybe that same Florida congressman would have tried to fast-track full voting rights -- as long as they were the Rubio kind of Cuban *wink wink*
Click to expand...

From the article:
Ward clarified his remarks to the Orlando Sentinel on Tuesday, saying he was talking about Puerto Ricans who are only temporarily in the state -- not ones who are seeking refuge in Florida on a more permanent basis.

“Puerto Ricans are American citizens, and if they’re going to be permanently living here in Florida, of course they can register and be welcomed into the community,” he said.
Click to expand...
 
NeverTrumpGOP said:
Having no home and losing the right to vote??
That's not part of the constitution.
At least it hasn't been for a very long time.
Click to expand...

hence making them residents of Florida

you cant just let them vote on local/state stuff unless they have a commitment to said locality/state

right now they are residents of Puerto Rico...displaced ones, but legally that is their home

what do they know/understand about the local/state issues in florida?

if they become florida residents their allegiance changes, even if their knowledge is lacking....

at that point i could see them voting....until then, no....

Unless they are going to use absentee ballots for Puerto Rico, and send those in....
 
Harshaw said:
What he said shouldn't be "allowed" is the Democrats using them to pad voting rolls for partisan advantage, not that the people themselves shouldn't be allowed to vote.
Click to expand...

Its not like the Dems are gerrymandering -- who knows how they will vote -- especially when you add in the fact that Trump did a tremendous job in responding to their needs -- he may have very well won over quite a few voters because of this.

Or do you not believe Trump when he said his response to PR was the best ever
 
Harshaw said:
What he said shouldn't be "allowed" is the Democrats using them to pad voting rolls for partisan advantage, not that the people themselves shouldn't be allowed to vote.
Click to expand...

What wrong with voting absentee in Puerto Rico. Hasn’t P.R. advanced to mail yet? Mail it to Florida, vote, mail it back to P.R. That is the right way to do it if you are not a Florida resident.
 
faithful_servant said:
If they are only in Florida on temporary basis, then they should be voting absentee in PR, not as a resident of Florida.
Click to expand...

gdgyva said:
hence making them residents of Florida

you cant just let them vote on local/state stuff unless they have a commitment to said locality/state

right now they are residents of Puerto Rico...displaced ones, but legally that is their home

what do they know/understand about the local/state issues in florida?

if they become florida residents their allegiance changes, even if their knowledge is lacking....

at that point i could see them voting....until then, no....

Unless they are going to use absentee ballots for Puerto Rico, and send those in....
Click to expand...

Why not just let them vote in Florida, if they really want to? Have them sign up. It's not reasonable to ask every displaced family if they are staying there for the long term. You don't even ask that on REGULAR ballots.

Imagine this: "Oh Hi. I see you are registered to vote in NJ. Plan on staying here long?"

You would say: "That's none of your business."
 
faithful_servant said:
From the article:
Click to expand...

Clarification is oh so important -- especially after you realized how much you stepped in it..

Also from the article: “This is an outrage,” Cortes said. “No candidate for office in this great country should be so woefully ignorant of the Constitution and the rights it protects for American citizens. Electing a candidate like that is dangerous and would be a disservice, not just to the Puerto Rican Americans he would disenfranchise, but to all freedom-loving Americans.”


That wasn't a democrat congressman saying that by the way -- wonder why Cortes's statement was so out of touch
 
gdgyva said:
so...is this displacement permanent?

are they now florida residents?

if so, then yes...they should be allowed to vote

if not, then no...they shouldnt be allowed to vote as non residents of the state

put them on a boat, or make them residents of florida....they cant have it both ways
Click to expand...

Puerto Ricans were leaving the island en mass for years before the storm. There's no job's - the US Census states that somewhere over 300,000 are employed out of 3.4 million residents. The standard of living is almost third world when it comes to infrastructure - water, sewer, power, roads - and the housing is not much better.

It's heartbreaking to see first hand.

I think this is going to be similar to when Katrina hit New Orleans and the levies broke. People left, most stayed away and never came back. But it will be slightly different in that the young are the ones that have left, and the old are the ones that have stayed (for the most part). The young will come back to visit family, and send money back to help support their family. That didn't happen in New Orleans.

What PR is suffering from right now in this regard is a brain and muscle drain. The young that are educated and the young that are strong for trade jobs have either already left or are leaving.

It's such a part of the culture here that they have a name for it - the Jet Blue Option.

The ones that are left, the approximately 300k that have jobs, are working hard to keep the economy in PR from completely collapsing.

They are very proud people, that want only what is rightfully theirs. Their Constitutional rights as US Citizens, and an open path to the American Dream that they want to earn and achieve on their own.
 
It doesn’t matter how long you are living somewhere, if you are living there then that is where you should register to vote. Whether that works to the advantage or disadvantage of any particular political party is irrelevant.
 
Beaudreaux said:
Puerto Ricans were leaving the island en mass for years before the storm. There's no job's - the US Census states that somewhere over 300,000 are employed out of 3.4 million residents. The standard of living is almost third world when it comes to infrastructure - water, sewer, power, roads - and the housing is not much better.

It's heartbreaking to see first hand.

I think this is going to be similar to when Katrina hit New Orleans and the levies broke. People left, most stayed away and never came back. But it will be slightly different in that the young are the ones that have left, and the old are the ones that have stayed (for the most part). The young will come back to visit family, and send money back to help support their family. That didn't happen in New Orleans.

What PR is suffering from right now in this regard is a brain and muscle drain. The young that are educated and the young that are strong for trade jobs have either already left or are leaving.

It's such a part of the culture here that they have a name for it - the Jet Blue Option.

The ones that are left, the approximately 300k that have jobs, are working hard to keep the economy in PR from completely collapsing.

They are very proud people, that want only what is rightfully theirs. Their Constitutional rights as US Citizens, and an open path to the American Dream that they want to earn and achieve on their own.
Click to expand...

no issue with any of that

from what i have read, it is going to take years to build the infrastructure the island requires

for those that want to leave, let them relocate to the states...with permanent status

and give them immediate voting rights for that state....but they are no longer PR citizens....they are Americans

for those that want to return, let them

i believe in letting people make their own decisions....good and bad
 
biff_poindexter said:
Its not like the Dems are gerrymandering -- who knows how they will vote -- especially when you add in the fact that Trump did a tremendous job in responding to their needs -- he may have very well won over quite a few voters because of this.

Or do you not believe Trump when he said his response to PR was the best ever
Click to expand...

I don't believe much of anything Trump says. But none of this has anything to do with what I posted, which was about the false characterization that the guy said Puerto Ricans shouldn't be allowed to vote. It's simply not what he said.
 
gdgyva said:
no issue with any of that

from what i have read, it is going to take years to build the infrastructure the island requires

for those that want to leave, let them relocate to the states...with permanent status

and give them immediate voting rights for that state....but they are no longer PR citizens....they are Americans

for those that want to return, let them

i believe in letting people make their own decisions....good and bad
Click to expand...

This is what confuses me -- aren't people from Puerto Rico already US citizens??

Because if you believe what congressional laws say:

United States citizenship. On March 2, 1917, the Jones–Shafroth Act was signed, collectively making Puerto Ricans United States citizens without rescinding their Puerto Rican citizenship.

So I am not familiar with why or how they need to register for permanent status?
 
Harshaw said:
What he said shouldn't be "allowed" is the Democrats using them to pad voting rolls for partisan advantage, not that the people themselves shouldn't be allowed to vote.
Click to expand...
Why not? Why can't they vote as Democrats?
 
biff_poindexter said:
Florida congressional candidate slammed for saying displaced Puerto Ricans shouldn't 'be allowed' to vote in state | Fox News

The question should be asked...Should displaced Puerto Ricans (or should I say US Citizens) be allowed to register to vote?

From the article: “It’s not lost on me that I think the Democrat Party is really hoping that they can change the voting registers in a lot of counties and districts, and I don’t think they should be allowed to do that,” Ward said at the Mount Dora Republican Club forum.

Too bad these weren't displaced Cubans I guess -- maybe that same Florida congressman would have tried to fast-track full voting rights -- as long as they were the Rubio kind of Cuban *wink wink*
Click to expand...
Trump and the GOP are terribly dangerous, in their attempts to limit enfranchisement.

I can't think of much worse the government can do, than to impede one's ability to vote. This is beyond terrible, and we hear stuff like this more and more from the GOP.
 
Chomsky said:
Why not? Why can't they vote as Democrats?
Click to expand...

Take it up with him. I only clarified what he said, which wasn't that Puerto Ricans shouldn't be allowed to vote.
 
Harshaw said:
I don't believe much of anything Trump says. But none of this has anything to do with what I posted, which was about the false characterization that the guy said Puerto Ricans shouldn't be allowed to vote. It's simply not what he said.
Click to expand...

He reflexively got nervous over the fact that an influx of "brown people" who are not Cubans were going to be voting in Florida -- he panicked -- then clarified his statements later.

But when it comes to restricting votes -- that is the main weapon in the GOP arsenal -- too bad they aren't "real US citizens" -- because I was able to move to a different state and vote immediately -- they didn't even ask how long I was staying.
 
gdgyva said:
so...is this displacement permanent?

are they now florida residents?

if so, then yes...they should be allowed to vote

if not, then no...they shouldnt be allowed to vote as non residents of the state

put them on a boat, or make them residents of florida....they cant have it both ways
Click to expand...
There's no permanent residency requirement to vote in most states. It's usually something like 30 day's residency, and not be registered to vote anywhere else.
 
biff_poindexter said:
He reflexively got nervous over the fact that an influx of "brown people" who are not Cubans were going to be voting in Florida -- he panicked -- then clarified his statements later.

But when it comes to restricting votes -- that is the main weapon in the GOP arsenal -- too bad they aren't "real US citizens" -- because I was able to move to a different state and vote immediately -- they didn't even ask how long I was staying.
Click to expand...

What he said was clear, even from the quote in your OP. He was clearly referring to the Democrats, not Puerto Ricans.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom