1967-2017: earlier referendums
Referendums in 1967, 1993, 1998, 2012 and 2017 presented varying combinations of independence, commonwealth status and statehood.[1]
2020: simple statehood question
The 2020 referendum posed a simple statehood question, approved by 52.5% of voters.[2]
· Referendum or popular consultation
Puerto Rico status referendum, 2020
A simple yes/no statehood question passed with 52.5% support, though non-binding absent congressional action.
2024: three-option referendum
The 2024 referendum, excluding a current-status option, saw statehood win with 58.6%, certified January 2025.[3]
· Referendum or popular consultation
Puerto Rico status referendum, 2024
For the first time, voters chose among statehood, free association, and independence, without a current-status option.
Sources for this page
Each number marks a specific claim. Notes give the source, its locator and how it relates to the claim.
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1.
Claim: Puerto Rico has held a series of status referendums — in 1967, 1993, 1998, 2012, 2017, 2020 and 2024 — generally presenting voters with some combination of three principal options: full independence, maintenance or enhancement of the current commonwealth/territorial status, and full statehood within the United States; the 1967 and 1993 referendums resulted in majorities for the commonwealth option, while 1998 saw "none of the above" win, and 2012, 2017, 2020 and 2024 each resulted in a majority for statehood among the options presented.
- Puerto Rico status referendums (Wikipedia) link, Referendum series and historical outcomes section. Source record
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2.
Claim: The 2020 Puerto Rico status referendum posed a simple yes-or-no question on statehood; statehood was approved by 52.5% of voters on a turnout of 55%. As with all prior Puerto Rico status referendums, any resulting change to the island's political status would require action by the United States Congress, meaning the vote itself was non-binding.
- 2020 Puerto Rican status referendum (Wikipedia) link, Question format and results section. Source record
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3.
Claim: On 5 November 2024, Puerto Rico held a status referendum presenting voters with three options — statehood, independence with free association, and outright independence — the first such referendum not to include the current territorial/commonwealth status as an option; the Puerto Rico State Commission on Elections certified final results on 17 January 2025 showing 58.6% for statehood, 29.6% for free association, and 11.8% for independence. The Popular Democratic Party, the Movimiento Victoria Ciudadana, and the Puerto Rican Independence Party denounced the referendum over the exclusion of the current-status option and called for a boycott or spoiled ballots; as with prior referendums, the results are non-binding absent action by the US Congress, to which a Puerto Rican representative presented the results in December 2024.
- 2024 Puerto Rican status referendum results (Puerto Rico State Commission on Elections (CEE)) link, Ballot options, certified results and party boycott positions section. Source record
Printed from https://independenceatlas.com/movements/puerto-rico-political-status/history · last substantive update 24 September 2026.