reglab/statecodes huggingface dataset:
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE SIXTEEN - Election and Registration (§§ 1 — 4255) › Subtitle 6 - Election Code (2011) › Chapter 405 - Voters and Registration (§§ 4061 — 4081) › § 4066 - Guarantee of the right to vote

Except as otherwise provided in this subtitle or in an order issued by a competent Court of Law, the lawful registration of a voter shall not be rejected, cancelled, invalidated, or voided, nor shall a duly qualified voter be denied his right to vote through any regulation, order, resolution, interpretation, or any other means to prevent such exercise.
A voter may not be arrested while on his way to register or to vote, or while being registered or voting, unless such voter engages in actions that would give rise to a felony, election-related crime, or breach of the peace conviction.
History —June 1, 2011, No. 78, § 6.006; Dec. 22, 2014, No. 239, § 19.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE SIXTEEN - Election and Registration (§§ 1 — 4255) › Subtitle 6 - Election Code (2011) › Chapter 405 - Voters and Registration (§§ 4061 — 4081) › § 4067 - Registration application

Any person who wishes to be listed in the General Voter Registry shall fill out a sworn registration application, which shall include at least the following information concerning the applicant:
(a) Name and both paternal and maternal surnames.
(b) Names of his/her mother and father.
(c) Gender.
(d) Eye color.
(e) Height.
(f) Birthplace.
(g) Date of birth.
(h) Whether he/she is a citizen of the United States of America.
(i) Residence address establishing domicile.
(j) Mailing address.
(k) E-mail address.
(l) Driver’s license number or last four (4) digits of the social security number, exclusively for identification verification purposes and subject to the limitations provided by § 621b of Title 29.
(m) Date and place in which the application is submitted.
(n) Applicant’s signature or mark, or reason wherefor the applicant is unable to do so.
(o) Signature authentication.
Every voter shall be assigned a unique and permanent voter identification number, which shall be used to identify the voter’s file. This number shall be different from the last four (4) digits of the social security number. Any material that makes reference to the last four (4) digits of the social security number shall be managed and kept confidential by the Commission pursuant to the provisions of § 621b of Title 29 and the applicable federal legislation, and shall not be disclosed to third parties except as required by law or the court.
Every applicant who is a naturalized citizen of the United States shall present a certificate attesting to his/her naturalization, or a United States passport in effect at the time of registration. In the case that the applicant was born in a foreign country but is a United States citizen, he/she shall submit, at the time of registration, a certificate from the Department of State of the United States of America verifying such facts, or a United States passport in effect. If the person was born in the United States of America, or its territories or possessions, he/she shall present a duly certified copy of his/her birth certificate, a passport, or other official document attesting unequivocally to the date and place of his/her birth. Every applicant shall receive a copy of this election-related transaction upon completion of the same, and another copy shall be kept in the Commission’s archives.
Any person who submits his/her registration application within sixty (60) days before the closing of the Voter Registry shall present a certified copy of his/her birth certificate.
The Commission shall provide a place to register at the location of the Permanent Registration Board.
History —June 1, 2011, No. 78, § 6.007; Nov. 21, 2011, No. 230, § 14; Dec. 22, 2014, No. 239, § 20.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE SIXTEEN - Election and Registration (§§ 1 — 4255) › Subtitle 6 - Election Code (2011) › Chapter 405 - Voters and Registration (§§ 4061 — 4081) › § 4068 - Errors in election-related transactions

The Commission shall provide, through regulations to such effect, the form and means of rectifying or correcting, in the most expeditious manner possible, any error, omission, or discrepancy arising from an election-related transaction.
History —June 1, 2011, No. 78, § 6.008.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE SIXTEEN - Election and Registration (§§ 1 — 4255) › Subtitle 6 - Election Code (2011) › Chapter 405 - Voters and Registration (§§ 4061 — 4081) › § 4069 - Voter identification card

The voter identification card shall contain, at least, the date of issue, the voter’s name and surnames, gender, eye color, height, and his/her signature or mark, as the case may be, his/her picture, date of birth, voter identification number, and the card’s control number. Together with the voter identification card, the Commission shall prepare a file with the data, precinct, and electoral unit assigned to the voter. At the time of being issued his/her voter identification card, the voter shall sign the register adopted by the Commission attesting that he/she has received it. The Commission shall keep copies of voter identification cards in a file cabinet in strict alphabetical order, or in an electronic filing system.
Whenever new electronic voting, registration, or affiliation media technologies are adopted, the Commission shall, if necessary, produce and distribute voter identification cards that are compatible with such electronic media, or use current systems that have been structured by the Government of Puerto Rico.
History —June 1, 2011, No. 78, § 6.009.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE SIXTEEN - Election and Registration (§§ 1 — 4255) › Subtitle 6 - Election Code (2011) › Chapter 405 - Voters and Registration (§§ 4061 — 4081) › § 4070 - Expiration of the voter identification card

In case the Commission decides to establish a term during which the voter identification card shall be in effect, it shall be provided through resolution adopted by the unanimous vote of the Election Commissioners. Once said term has elapsed, the card shall be deemed expired for all legal purposes.
The Commission shall disclose the contents of the resolution through the mass media in order to provide adequate orientation to voters on the effective term of their voter identification card and the procedure for the renewal thereof.
In those cases in which the voter identification card expires six (6) months or less before the date of an election, it shall continue to be fully effective up to and including the day in which the election in question is held.
Upon expiration, the voter shall request the issuance of a new voter identification card.
History —June 1, 2011, No. 78, § 6.010.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE SIXTEEN - Election and Registration (§§ 1 — 4255) › Subtitle 6 - Election Code (2011) › Chapter 405 - Voters and Registration (§§ 4061 — 4081) › § 4071 - Voter identification card picture

Every picture taken for the purpose of issuing a voter’s identification card shall be deemed a private document, and its use by any court of law shall be authorized only for proceedings arising from the commission of an election-related crime. Likewise, it may only be used by the Commission to implement any of the provisions of this subtitle, or the regulations promulgated thereunder, in connection with the identification of voters.
Except in the aforesaid cases, the Commission shall not show pictures of voters contained in their files to any person who is not related to a political party.
It is expressly forbidden to require the presentation of the voter identification card for any public or private purpose that is not election-related. The use of the card is hereby authorized only when voluntarily shown by the voter.
History —June 1, 2011, No. 78, § 6.011.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE SIXTEEN - Election and Registration (§§ 1 — 4255) › Subtitle 6 - Election Code (2011) › Chapter 405 - Voters and Registration (§§ 4061 — 4081) › § 4072 - General Voter Registry

The Commission shall prepare and keep a General Voter Registry of all registered persons in Puerto Rico. Said Registry shall be kept in such a way that information related to voters can be veritably and promptly determined.
The information contained in the General Voter Registry shall be continually updated in terms of the voters’ changing circumstances.
All lists of voters entitled to vote in an election shall be prepared based on the General Voter Registry.
If a voter fails to exercise his/her right to vote in a general election, his/her file in the General Voter Registry shall be inactivated. The Commission may exclude voters from the General Voter Registry on the grounds provided by this subtitle or established through regulations. The exclusion of a voter shall not entail the elimination of his/her information from the General Voter Registry.
The Commission shall keep at least one (1) true and exact copy of the General Voter Registry in a separate, secure place under its custody and make any necessary modifications to keep it up to date.
History —June 1, 2011, No. 78, § 6.012.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE SIXTEEN - Election and Registration (§§ 1 — 4255) › Subtitle 6 - Election Code (2011) › Chapter 405 - Voters and Registration (§§ 4061 — 4081) › § 4073 - Reactivations, transfers, relocations, and renewal of the voter identification card

The Commission shall establish, by regulation, a system whereby any registered voter may request the reactivation of his registration after being inactive for not voting in a general election. Likewise, the Commission shall establish a system whereby registrations may be transferred from one precinct to another due to change of voting residence. The process to relocate voters who, due to a change of residence, request registration relocation from one electoral unit to another within the same precinct shall also be prescribed through regulations.
The Commission shall also establish a system whereby voters may request the renewal of their voter identification card if it has expired, pursuant to the provisions of this subtitle, if it has become deteriorated, or if it has been lost. A sworn statement attesting to the circumstances related to the loss shall be included with the request.
Before establishing the necessary administrative, technical, and programming controls, the Commission may adopt procedures to allow registered voters to carry out such transactions by regular mail or by electronic means such as telephone and the Internet. For such purposes, the Commission shall enter into collaboration agreements with agencies that offer other services to voters, such as the Electric Power Authority, the Aqueduct and Sewer Authority, the Department of the Family, the Department of the Treasury, the Municipal Revenues Collection Center (CRIM, Spanish acronym), among others; to notify the Commission in the official form prescribed by the same, a voter’s change of residence or mailing address. The Local Commission of each Precinct shall approve each one of such transactions as provided in § 4080 of this title before they are processed by the corresponding Permanent Registration Board in accordance with the regulations adopted by the State Election Commission.
History —June 1, 2011, No. 78, § 6.013; Dec. 22, 2014, No. 239, § 21.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE SIXTEEN - Election and Registration (§§ 1 — 4255) › Subtitle 6 - Election Code (2011) › Chapter 405 - Voters and Registration (§§ 4061 — 4081) › § 4074 - Voters’ access to their voter registration file and Commissioners’ access to a copy of the General Voter Registry

The Commission shall create and maintain election-related information systems via telephone or electronic media to allow voters direct access to verify their voter registration status. These systems shall be accessible to voters with disabilities. Election Commissioners may request a copy of the General Voter Registry and the Commission may issue the same either on paper or in electronic format.
History —June 1, 2011, No. 78, § 6.014; Nov. 21, 2011, No. 230, § 15.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE SIXTEEN - Election and Registration (§§ 1 — 4255) › Subtitle 6 - Election Code (2011) › Chapter 405 - Voters and Registration (§§ 4061 — 4081) › § 4075 - Deadlines for voter registration, reactivation, transfer, and relocation

No registration, reactivation, transfer or relocation of a voter for an election shall be authorized within fifty (50) days before the holding of said election.
The full right of a voter to vote in the precinct and electoral unit where he/she is registered is hereby guaranteed when the change of his/her domicile to another precinct or electoral unit occurs within fifty (50) days before the election.
History —June 1, 2011, No. 78, § 6.015.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE SIXTEEN - Election and Registration (§§ 1 — 4255) › Subtitle 6 - Election Code (2011) › Chapter 405 - Voters and Registration (§§ 4061 — 4081) › § 4076 - Ongoing process of voter registration, reactivation, transfer, relocation, identification card picture, and modifications to the General Voter Registry

The Commission shall maintain an ongoing process of registration, reactivation, transfer, relocation, issuance of voter identification cards, and modifications to the General Voter Registry to be carried out by the Permanent Registration Boards at the centers established in the precincts or municipalities for such purposes, in accordance with the regulations approved by the Commission and the provisions of § 4075 of this title.
The Commission shall develop and implement a Registration Plan in public and private high schools of the Island during the year following a general election. During the rest of the four-year term it shall also develop a plan to visit public and private universities, elderly care and assisted living centers, among others.
History —June 1, 2011, No. 78, § 6.016; Dec. 22, 2014, No. 239, § 22.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE SIXTEEN - Election and Registration (§§ 1 — 4255) › Subtitle 6 - Election Code (2011) › Chapter 405 - Voters and Registration (§§ 4061 — 4081) › § 4078 - Term to challenge voters

Any voter from the appropriate precinct may initiate any action to challenge voters within a term of three (3) months and fifteen (15) days, comprised between January 15 and April 30 of the Election Year, on the same grounds set forth in § 4077 of this title.
History —June 1, 2011, No. 78, § 6.018.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE SIXTEEN - Election and Registration (§§ 1 — 4255) › Subtitle 6 - Election Code (2011) › Chapter 405 - Voters and Registration (§§ 4061 — 4081) › § 4079 - Challenge on the grounds of age; proof

When a voter is challenged on the grounds of age, either a positive certification issued by the Vital Statistics Registry, or by any similar or analogous registry in the United States of America or any foreign country, shall be attached to the challenge petition form stating the age of such person, or a “Negative Certification” issued by the Vital Statistics Registry, or any similar or analogous registry in the United States of America or any foreign country, stating that the name of the applicant does not appear in the Vital Statistics Registry of the municipality or place where said person swore in his/her application for registration that he/she was born. The person whose exclusion is sought on these grounds may, at the hearing held by the Chair of the local commission, file a contest of affidavit to prove that he/she is the age he/she swore to be in his/her registration application, and submit the appropriate “Positive Certification” from such registry, which states the municipality or place where the challenged voter’s birth was registered, his/her date of birth, the names of his/her parents, and any other general data.
The Chair of the local commission shall not order the cancellation of the registration of such person as a voter if such person was born, according to his/her registration application, before July 31, 1931, or when the challenged voter, to maintain the legality of his/her voter registration application, produces before the Chair of the local commission a Positive Certification from the Civil Registry or Vital Statistics Registry, or any similar or analogous registry of the United States of America or a foreign country, or his/her certificate of baptism, attesting to such person’s compliance with the age requirement in order to vote.
The Vital Statistics Registrars and the Secretary of Health, or their representatives, shall issue the certificates requested for election-related purposes free of charge, pursuant to the provisions of this subtitle. The issuance of said certificates at the request of the Election Commissioners or the members of the Permanent Registration Boards is hereby authorized, and the Secretary of Health or his/her representative is hereby directed to address such application with priority within a term not to exceed ten (10) days.
History —June 1, 2011, No. 78, § 6.019.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE SIXTEEN - Election and Registration (§§ 1 — 4255) › Subtitle 6 - Election Code (2011) › Chapter 405 - Voters and Registration (§§ 4061 — 4081) › § 4080 - Presentation of applications for registration, reactivation, transfer, relocation, and modification before the Local Commission

Each month, the Permanent Registration Board shall submit all the applications for registration, reactivation, transfer, relocation, pictures, and modifications made to the General Voter Registry during the month, as well as the death certificates received during said month, to the local elections commission. In its monthly meeting, the local commission shall evaluate said applications and death certificates, and from that date on, the political parties or the voters of the precinct shall have ten (10) days to submit the challenge petitions they consider to be in order.
For such purposes, the same procedure established herein to decide the validity of the challenges shall be followed.
History —June 1, 2011, No. 78, § 6.020.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE SIXTEEN - Election and Registration (§§ 1 — 4255) › Subtitle 6 - Election Code (2011) › Chapter 405 - Voters and Registration (§§ 4061 — 4081) › § 4081 - Adjudication of mental incompetence and death certificate reports

The Courts Administrator shall send to the Commission, on a monthly basis during an election year and on a quarterly basis during years in which elections are not held, a list of those persons who have been legally declared as mentally incompetent.
Likewise, the municipal offices of the Vital Statistics Registry of the Department of Health of Puerto Rico shall remit each month to the Permanent Registration Board of their municipality a list of all deaths recorded in their books. The Permanent Registration Board shall request the Vital Statistics Registry to provide all those death certificates that it deems necessary, and said Registry shall have the obligation to provide them free of charge. The Commission may coordinate the receipt of this information in electronic format.
History —June 1, 2011, No. 78, § 6.021.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE SIXTEEN - Election and Registration (§§ 1 — 4255) › Subtitle 6 - Election Code (2011) › Chapter 406 - Political Parties (§§ 4091 — 4104) › § 4092 - Citizen groups

Any citizen group that wishes to register a political party shall file a notice of intent with the Commission for such purposes. Once it is authorized to seek endorsements, the citizen group shall be entitled to request and obtain a copy of the General Voter Registry. This request shall be submitted to the Secretary, who shall process the same. The Commission shall establish, through regulations, the information to be contained in the copies that shall be distributed to citizen groups. These citizen groups shall comply with the requirements, reports, and mandatory conditions set forth in the “Puerto Rico Political Campaign Financing Oversight Act”.
History —June 1, 2011, No. 78, § 7.002.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE SIXTEEN - Election and Registration (§§ 1 — 4255) › Subtitle 6 - Election Code (2011) › Chapter 406 - Political Parties (§§ 4091 — 4104) › § 4093 - Invalid party registration petitions

The Commission shall reject any political party registration petition signed by a person who:
(a) Is not a duly registered voter at the time of signing the petition; or
(b) has signed a petition to register another party in the same local or state category during the period between two general elections, or
(c) fails to comply with the requirements of this subtitle or of the regulations approved thereunder, including the accuracy and authenticity of the information stated in a political party’s registration petition.
A political party’s registration petitions shall be filed with the Commission not later than seven (7) days after having been duly sworn. The Commission shall establish, through regulations, the form and the procedures to be followed for filing and validating said registration petitions.
The Commission shall be responsible for maintaining and keeping custody of the political party registration petition register for a period of two (2) years from the validation of the voter’s endorsement petition.
History —June 1, 2011, No. 78, § 7.003.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE SIXTEEN - Election and Registration (§§ 1 — 4255) › Subtitle 6 - Election Code (2011) › Chapter 406 - Political Parties (§§ 4091 — 4104) › § 4094 - Prerogatives of political parties

Any political party having the rank of a majority major party, party, major party, or party by petition shall enjoy the rights pertaining thereto until it loses said rank pursuant to, and as said terms are defined in this subtitle.
History —June 1, 2011, No. 78, § 7.004.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE SIXTEEN - Election and Registration (§§ 1 — 4255) › Subtitle 6 - Election Code (2011) › Chapter 406 - Political Parties (§§ 4091 — 4104) › § 4095 - Propaganda distribution facilities

Every political party, aspirant, candidate, citizen group, campaign committee, and political action committee that wishes to establish a propaganda distribution facility shall request an authorization from the Local Commission of the precinct where such a facility is to be located. Furthermore, such request shall include the name, street and mailing address, telephone numbers, and voter identification number of the person whom the requestor designates to be in charge of such facility. The requestor shall also be required to notify the Local Commission of any change regarding the person designated to be in charge of the facility or such person’s information. The notice of change shall be sent within five (5) days after such change is made. The Local Commission shall ensure strict compliance with §§ 4232 and 4234 of this title.
History —June 1, 2011, No. 78, § 7.005; Dec. 22, 2014, No. 239, § 25.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE SIXTEEN - Election and Registration (§§ 1 — 4255) › Subtitle 6 - Election Code (2011) › Chapter 406 - Political Parties (§§ 4091 — 4104) › § 4097 - Registry of Affiliated Voters

The preparation of a Registry of Affiliated Voters, which shall be the exclusive property of the political party that prepares it and shall always remain under its exclusive control, shall be the option of the political parties. They may use said Registry, without it being construed as a limitation, for any issues, procedures, or activities related to their organization, internal reorganization, fund raising, posting of communications, validation of nomination endorsement petitions or holding of primaries or special elections to fill a vacancy for an elective public office. The voter lists prepared by the Commission for polling places in primaries or special elections, after they are marked according to the voters’ participation, as well as the list of polling place officials working in an election, shall become part of the Registry of Affiliated Voters of the party concerned.
History —June 1, 2011, No. 78, § 7.007.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE SIXTEEN - Election and Registration (§§ 1 — 4255) › Subtitle 6 - Election Code (2011) › Chapter 406 - Political Parties (§§ 4091 — 4104) › § 4098 - Affiliated voter registration form

The Commission shall supply to the political parties sufficient number of special forms so that voters may be registered in their Registries of Affiliated Voters. Said forms shall be designed and printed by the Commission and shall consist of an original and a copy. The original shall be retained by the body or official that the central governing body of each party designates to be in charge of the preparation of the registry. The copy shall be handed to the voter as proof of his/her entry in the registry of the party of his/her choice.
History —June 1, 2011, No. 78, § 7.008.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE SIXTEEN - Election and Registration (§§ 1 — 4255) › Subtitle 6 - Election Code (2011) › Chapter 406 - Political Parties (§§ 4091 — 4104) › § 4099 - Political party insignias and emblems of independent candidates

The Commission shall establish a registry of political party names and insignias, and emblems of candidates and independent candidates, which after complying with the procedure established through regulations for the certification thereof shall be the property of the corresponding political parties, candidates, and independent candidates. The unauthorized use of political party names or insignias and of candidate or independent candidate emblems thus registered is hereby prohibited.
Every party by petition, candidate, or independent candidate shall be entitled to have the name, insignia, or emblem thereof certified within thirty (30) days following its filing.
No political party, candidate, or independent candidate shall:
(1) Use as its name, insignia, or emblem on the ballot the same one being used by any duly registered natural or juridical person, group, sect, religion, church, or for-profit or nonprofit organization.
(2) Use the flag or coat of arms of the Government of the United States of America or Puerto Rico, or any insignia, emblem, or symbol of any government agency.
History —June 1, 2011, No. 78, § 7.009.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE SIXTEEN - Election and Registration (§§ 1 — 4255) › Subtitle 6 - Election Code (2011) › Chapter 406 - Political Parties (§§ 4091 — 4104) › § 4100 - Order to file insignias and emblems

The party by petition or independent candidate that first meets the filing requirements, as provided in this subtitle, shall have priority for the use of a specific name, insignia, or emblem. The same shall be applicable to any emblems presented by a candidate before the Commission. If two or more insignias or emblems that are equal or similar in whole or in part are filed at the same time with the Commission and the political parties, candidates, or independent candidates have met the requirements for registration and filing of candidacies provided in this subtitle, the Commission shall decide by drawing lots to which of them the insignia or emblem shall pertain. Said drawing shall be made in the presence of affected or interested persons or parties, or their representatives.
History —June 1, 2011, No. 78, § 7.010.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE SIXTEEN - Election and Registration (§§ 1 — 4255) › Subtitle 6 - Election Code (2011) › Chapter 406 - Political Parties (§§ 4091 — 4104) › § 4101 - Retention of rights over name and insignia

Any political party that, due to the results of the preceding election, fails to remain registered as such shall retain all the rights and prerogatives over the name and insignia it used in said election for as long as it claims and uses said name and insignia.
History —June 1, 2011, No. 78, § 7.011.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE SIXTEEN - Election and Registration (§§ 1 — 4255) › Subtitle 6 - Election Code (2011) › Chapter 406 - Political Parties (§§ 4091 — 4104) › § 4102 - Ban on the use of party names, insignias, and emblems for commercial purposes

The names and insignias of political parties which have been duly filed with the Commission as provided in this subtitle, as well as the emblems of candidates or independent candidates, cannot be reproduced, forged, copied, or imitated by any natural or juridical person for business purposes without the previous written consent of the political party or its representative, or of the candidate concerned. Any natural or juridical person that uses said reproduction, forgery, copy, or imitation of a name, insignia, or emblem of a political party, candidate, or independent candidate for business purposes in Puerto Rico without the proper authorization shall be subject to a suit for damages, and if the case is resolved in favor of the plaintiff political party, candidate, or independent candidate, the sum of the indemnification shall never be less than the net profit obtained by the business entity or activity in question. The aggrieved political party, candidate, or independent candidate may appear before the Court of First Instance, pursuant to Chapter 403 of this subtitle, to request an order for the business to cease and desist the unauthorized use of its name, insignia, or emblem.
History —June 1, 2011, No. 78, § 7.012.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE SIXTEEN - Election and Registration (§§ 1 — 4255) › Subtitle 6 - Election Code (2011) › Chapter 406 - Political Parties (§§ 4091 — 4104) › § 4103 - Change of name or insignia

Any political party that wishes to change its name or insignia may do so by certification of its central governing body filed with the Commission, and such party shall not, thereby, lose the rights and privileges granted thereto by this subtitle, or acquired while using the former name or insignia.
History —June 1, 2011, No. 78, § 7.013.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE SIXTEEN - Election and Registration (§§ 1 — 4255) › Subtitle 6 - Election Code (2011) › Chapter 406 - Political Parties (§§ 4091 — 4104) › § 4104 - List of political party insignias and candidate emblems

Not later than ninety (90) days before the date on which a general election is to be held, the Commission shall prepare a complete list of political party insignias and emblems of candidates filed to be printed on the voting ballot. The list shall also include ad hoc drawings of the insignias or emblems that are different from those used in the preceding general election.
History —June 1, 2011, No. 78, § 7.014.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE SIXTEEN - Election and Registration (§§ 1 — 4255) › Subtitle 6 - Election Code (2011) › Chapter 407 - Candidacies and Primaries (§§ 4111 — 4137) › § 4112 - Vacant candidacy

No election for an elective public office shall be carried out if, before a primary, a vacancy arises which makes the number of aspirants equal to or less than the number of offices to which a political party is entitled to nominate a candidate. However, if within sixty (60) days before a primary is held, a vacancy should arise which does not make the number of aspirants equal to or less than the number of offices to which a political party is entitled to nominate a candidate, the name of the aspirant shall appear on the ballot and the votes polled by him/her shall not be counted for the purposes of said primary.
History —June 1, 2011, No. 78, § 8.002.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE SIXTEEN - Election and Registration (§§ 1 — 4255) › Subtitle 6 - Election Code (2011) › Chapter 407 - Candidacies and Primaries (§§ 4111 — 4137) › § 4113 - Roster of aspirants

The Commission shall prepare the official roster of all aspirants sixty (60) days before the holding of a primary and, from then on, no names shall be added or eliminated from said roster.
History —June 1, 2011, No. 78, § 8.003.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE SIXTEEN - Election and Registration (§§ 1 — 4255) › Subtitle 6 - Election Code (2011) › Chapter 407 - Candidacies and Primaries (§§ 4111 — 4137) › § 4114 - Nomination of candidates

All political parties shall be entitled to nominate one candidate for each elective office to be voted on in a general election. No person may be a candidate for more than one party. Provided, That, should any vacancy arise in a candidacy, the party may fill the same as provided in this subtitle and said party’s regulations.
Political parties may assign the order of the candidates for senators and representatives-at-large on the ballots of the different election precincts pursuant to uniform and fair procedures regarding the distribution of said election precincts for such candidates. It shall be the duty of the Commission to order that the names of said candidates be printed on the ballot in the same order that they were certified by the party for the different precincts.
History —June 1, 2011, No. 78, § 8.004; Dec. 22, 2014, No. 239, § 28.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE SIXTEEN - Election and Registration (§§ 1 — 4255) › Subtitle 6 - Election Code (2011) › Chapter 407 - Candidacies and Primaries (§§ 4111 — 4137) › § 4115 - Decision to hold primaries and holding thereof

The decision to hold primaries with regard to any candidacy for an elective public office rests with the central governing body of the political party concerned. No political party shall have to hold primaries with regard to any elective public office for which it does not wish to nominate a candidate.
In the event that the party determines that there are one or more offices for which the central governing body wishes to nominate a candidate, any voter who is a member of said political party shall be entitled to be considered by the central governing body concerned for nomination as an aspirant to any elective public office if he/she complies with the requirements provided by law to hold and/or aspire for such office. Every political party shall have to hold primaries in those cases in which there is more than one qualified candidate, as established herein.
(a) Automatic certification of candidates for senator or representative-at-large, or district senator or representative. — The Chair shall certify as candidates for senator or representative-at-large, or district senator or representative, any aspirant who meets all the requirements to participate in primaries, without the need to hold said primaries, in the following cases:
(1) If the number of aspirants is equal to or less than the number of candidates that the political party has notified the Commission it shall nominate for such offices in the next general election.
(2) If the number of aspirants is equal to or less than eleven (11), in those cases in which the political party has failed to notify the Commission how many candidates it shall nominate for senator or representative-at-large. In the case of district senators, this provision shall apply if the number of aspirants is equal to or less than two (2).
(b) Automatic certification of candidates for other elective public offices. — When only one aspirant has met the requirements to participate in the primaries of a specific political party for any elective public office other than senator or representative-at-large, or district senator, the Chair shall certify said aspirant as the candidate for said office of the political party concerned in the next general election.
Aspirants certified as candidates pursuant to the provisions of this section shall not be required to submit endorsement petitions for primaries.
History —June 1, 2011, No. 78, § 8.005.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE SIXTEEN - Election and Registration (§§ 1 — 4255) › Subtitle 6 - Election Code (2011) › Chapter 407 - Candidacies and Primaries (§§ 4111 — 4137) › § 4116 - Primaries commission

A primaries commission is hereby created, which shall be separate for each party that needs to hold primaries to select the candidates for one or more elective public offices. The primaries commission shall be composed of the Chair and the Election Commissioner of the political party concerned.
The primaries commission shall direct and inspect the primaries and enforce the regulations approved by the central governing body of the political party concerned. Said political party shall submit to the Commission a copy of the regulations for primaries, duly certified by the party’s President and Secretary. Such regulations shall not be inconsistent with the provisions of this subtitle.
The regulations shall provide, among other things, for the creation and duties of a local primary board in each precinct where primaries are to be held. Moreover, each political party shall provide, through regulations, the creation of a Primary Polling Place Board composed of a director, a deputy director, and a Secretary. During the voting and canvassing process, the effective representation of the aspirants shall be guaranteed.
History —June 1, 2011, No. 78, § 8.006.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE SIXTEEN - Election and Registration (§§ 1 — 4255) › Subtitle 6 - Election Code (2011) › Chapter 407 - Candidacies and Primaries (§§ 4111 — 4137) › § 4118 - Disqualification of an aspirant

A political party may disqualify an aspirant to a candidacy for elective public office on any of the following grounds:
(1) That the person has failed to meet the requirements for aspirants as established in this subtitle or the regulations for primaries approved by the Commission or by the political party concerned, or in any regulation of the political party to which he/she belongs;
(2) that the person has violated any of the provisions of this subtitle or the “Puerto Rico Political Campaign Financing Oversight Act”, or any of the regulations approved thereunder or of the political party concerned, specifying the violated section, and/or
(3) that the person failed to comply with a constitutional provision.
Section 4117(i) of this title shall apply to disqualified aspirants.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, no political party may incorporate a provision ex-post-facto to its regulations in order to consider it as grounds for disqualification.
History —June 1, 2011, No. 78, § 8.008.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE SIXTEEN - Election and Registration (§§ 1 — 4255) › Subtitle 6 - Election Code (2011) › Chapter 407 - Candidacies and Primaries (§§ 4111 — 4137) › § 4119 - Date for holding primaries

Primaries to be held pursuant to the provisions of this subtitle shall be held on the first Sunday of June of the year in which the General Election is to be held.
In the case of primaries for candidates who seek nomination in their political party for election to the office of President of the United States of America, the same may be held on any date after the first Tuesday of February of the General Election year, and up to June fifteenth (15 th) of that same year, as determined by the local body of the party, as appropriate.
History —June 1, 2011, No. 78, § 8.009; Dec. 22, 2014, No. 239, § 29.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE SIXTEEN - Election and Registration (§§ 1 — 4255) › Subtitle 6 - Election Code (2011) › Chapter 407 - Candidacies and Primaries (§§ 4111 — 4137) › § 4120 - Calling a primary

The Commission shall announce and call voters to primaries in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation at least thirty (30) days before such primaries are to be held.
History —June 1, 2011, No. 78, § 8.010.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE SIXTEEN - Election and Registration (§§ 1 — 4255) › Subtitle 6 - Election Code (2011) › Chapter 407 - Candidacies and Primaries (§§ 4111 — 4137) › § 4121 - Date to file candidacies and deadlines

The Commission and the political parties shall open the process for filing candidacies from December 1 st to December 30 th of the year preceding a General Election year. The deadlines that shall apply to the different processes and activities related to said primaries shall be established by the Commission through regulations. The deadline in all instances shall be set at 12:00 noon. When any such date falls on a day other than a business day, such date shall be rolled over to the next business day. Independent candidates shall file their candidacies exclusively following this same process and within the same period.
The Commission shall inform and notify the opening and closing dates for filing candidacies in at least two newspapers of general circulation.
Political parties shall notify the Commission of the number of candidates-at-large and district senators that each party shall nominate for the General Election, on or before the first day of the candidacy filing period.
Aspirants to candidacies shall file their income and expenditures reports with the Office of the Election Comptroller on the dates set by the Comptroller, and the required reports shall be governed by the provisions of the Puerto Rico Political Campaign Financing Oversight Act.
History —June 1, 2011, No. 78, § 8.011; Nov. 21, 2011, No. 230, § 19; Dec. 22, 2014, No. 239, § 30.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE SIXTEEN - Election and Registration (§§ 1 — 4255) › Subtitle 6 - Election Code (2011) › Chapter 407 - Candidacies and Primaries (§§ 4111 — 4137) › § 4123 - Endorsement petition form for primaries

Endorsement petitions for primaries shall be filed on a special form containing the following information about the petitioner:
(1) Name and surnames;
(2) date of birth;
(3) gender;
(4) name of the mother and father;
(5) voter identification number;
(6) precinct number, and
(7) signature.
The form shall also include the following information regarding the aspirant:
(1) Legal name and any nickname to be used on the ballot;
(2) political party;
(3) code assigned by the Commission, and
(4) elective public office.
Finally, the form shall contain a space for the code and signature of the official authorized to administer the oath.
Each voter shall sign and swear to an endorsement petition for primaries for only one aspirant to the nomination of a given elective public office. Whenever a political party may nominate more than one candidate for a given elective public office, each voter may sign and swear to endorsement petitions for primaries for the same number of aspirants as the party has notified the Commission it shall nominate for the general election. Each form shall have at least an original and two (2) copies, which shall be distributed in the following manner:
(a) The original shall be delivered in person by the aspirant or his/her representative to the Secretary of the Commission, who shall give a written receipt for each original or group of originals filed;
(b) the first copy shall be kept by the aspirant to whom said petition refers, and
(c) the second copy shall be delivered to the voter who signed it.
History —June 1, 2011, No. 78, § 8.013.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE SIXTEEN - Election and Registration (§§ 1 — 4255) › Subtitle 6 - Election Code (2011) › Chapter 407 - Candidacies and Primaries (§§ 4111 — 4137) › § 4124 - Endorsement petitions for primaries need not be sworn

Endorsement petitions for primaries need not be sworn before an ad hoc notary. The Commission shall prescribe by regulations the requirements to be met by officials authorized to take endorsement signatures. Furthermore, the Commission shall prescribe by regulations the necessary safeguards that must be observed by said officials, which shall include a certification in the endorsement petition establishing accurately the identity of the voter or the identification method used to do so.
History —June 1, 2011, No. 78, § 8.014; Dec. 22, 2014, No. 239, § 32.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE SIXTEEN - Election and Registration (§§ 1 — 4255) › Subtitle 6 - Election Code (2011) › Chapter 407 - Candidacies and Primaries (§§ 4111 — 4137) › § 4125 - Information form

Every voter who wishes to exercise the rights and privileges granted by this subtitle to aspirants in primaries shall file with the Commission an information form on candidacy for primaries, so that the Commission shall open a record for him/her and take the administrative steps needed to receive endorsement petitions for primaries on his/her behalf. In said form, the aspirant shall include a picture of him/herself or an emblem with which he/she wishes to be identified on the ballot.
The Commission shall use the picture or emblem furnished by each aspirant by placing it beside his/her name on the ballot.
If any candidate has failed to meet the requirement of submitting his/her picture or emblem when only sixty (60) days are left before holding the primaries, the Commission shall choose a geometric shape as the emblem to identify said candidate on the ballot.
History —June 1, 2011, No. 78, § 8.015.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE SIXTEEN - Election and Registration (§§ 1 — 4255) › Subtitle 6 - Election Code (2011) › Chapter 407 - Candidacies and Primaries (§§ 4111 — 4137) › § 4126 - Criteria to invalidate endorsement petitions for primaries

The grounds to invalidate an endorsement petition for primaries shall be the following:
(a) The petitioner is not a voter who is affiliated with the aspirant’s party; or
(b) the petitioner is not a voter of the precinct or precincts that cover the candidacy; or
(c) some of the fields or requirements of the petition are incomplete; or
(d) the petitioner has already exercised and exhausted his/her petitioning right for that same elective public office; or
(e) the petitioner’s record has been excluded from the General Voter Registry, or
(f) the endorsements were not filed within the term established by this subtitle.
History —June 1, 2011, No. 78, § 8.016.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE SIXTEEN - Election and Registration (§§ 1 — 4255) › Subtitle 6 - Election Code (2011) › Chapter 407 - Candidacies and Primaries (§§ 4111 — 4137) › § 4127 - Certification of aspirants

The Secretary shall issue a certification of the aspirants who have completed the necessary requirements and shall appear on the appropriate ballot.
History —June 1, 2011, No. 78, § 8.017.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE SIXTEEN - Election and Registration (§§ 1 — 4255) › Subtitle 6 - Election Code (2011) › Chapter 407 - Candidacies and Primaries (§§ 4111 — 4137) › § 4128 - Acceptance of aspiration for candidacy in primaries

Every aspirant to a candidacy for an elective public office must appear in the Affiliated Voter Registry of the appropriate party and be sworn by an official duly qualified to administer oaths stating that he accepts the nomination as candidate, that he shall abide by the official regulations of his political party, and that he meets the applicable constitutional requirements to hold the elective public office to which he aspires, as well as complies with the provisions of this subtitle.
History —June 1, 2011, No. 78, § 8.018; Dec. 22, 2014, No. 239, § 33.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE SIXTEEN - Election and Registration (§§ 1 — 4255) › Subtitle 6 - Election Code (2011) › Chapter 407 - Candidacies and Primaries (§§ 4111 — 4137) › § 4129 - Withdrawal from participating in primaries

Any aspirant may withdraw from participating in a primary up to the same day in which said primary shall be held through written notice sworn before an authorized official, which shall be filed with the Secretary of the Commission.
History —June 1, 2011, No. 78, § 8.019.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE SIXTEEN - Election and Registration (§§ 1 — 4255) › Subtitle 6 - Election Code (2011) › Chapter 407 - Candidacies and Primaries (§§ 4111 — 4137) › § 4130 - Disqualification of aspirants and candidates

Any aspirant or duly nominated candidate may be disqualified as such by the Court of First Instance if he/she fails to meet the requirements imposed by the Constitution or by law, or when it is shown that he/she has violated any of the provisions of this subtitle or its regulations.
The challenged aspirant or candidate shall respond under oath to said claim within ten (10) days of being notified.
If the Court of First Instance, designated in accordance with Chapter 403 of this subtitle, should find that a real controversy arises from the allegations, it shall schedule a public hearing to be held within ten (10) days as of the filing of the challenged aspirant’s or candidate’s response. The Court of First Instance may reduce said term if the circumstances of the case so warrant.
History —June 1, 2011, No. 78, § 8.020.