By The Star Staff
The Popular Democratic Party (PDP) governing board will appeal to the Puerto Rico Supreme Court a ruling on the validity of more than 4,000 mail-in votes.
Electoral commissioners of four parties have questioned the origins of the votes. The votes could make a difference in some of the electoral races.
Nonetheless, Judge Raúl Candelario López ordered the State Elections Commission to count all mail-in votes regardless of incongruencies between the voters’ mailing address and the one appearing in the electoral registry.
“The transparency and legitimacy of the electoral process are fundamental pillars of our democracy,” PDP Secretary General Juan Luis Camacho Semidei said in a written statement. “We cannot endorse the validation of votes whose provenance is questionable and which call into question the will of the voters expressed at the polls.”
Camacho Semidei reiterated that the PDP will always defend the right to vote and respect the election results, but stressed the need for a fair, clear, transparent process.
“We will go to the Supreme Court to ensure that the rules and procedures that govern the counting and validation of votes are respected,” he said.
The PDP’s analysis stems from the possible impact of the votes in question on the results for the Santa Isabel mayor’s office and several legislative seats.
“The PDP trusts that the Supreme Court will reaffirm the principles of electoral justice and ensure that each legitimate vote is counted with transparency,” Camacho said.
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