Puerto Rico Voting Requirements & Information
U.S. Vote Foundation’s Puerto Rico Voting Requirements and Information directory informs you of Puerto Rico voting rules and options. It focuses on Puerto Rico-specific voting guidelines and information for all voters, including domestic, overseas, and military voters. Here you can find out about Puerto Rico voter eligibility, voter ID requirements, registration, absentee and early voting options, ways to transmit voting documents and links to specific-Puerto Rico voting tools. It's an all-in-one Puerto Rico voting resource.
General Information
Registration
You can register to vote or update your registration information:
- At the local permanent registration board of the municipality or precinct of residence.
Early Voting
The following categories of voters may be eligible for early or advance voting:
- The members of the Police of Puerto Rico
- Corps of the Municipal Police Corps Officers Corrections Administration Corps Officers Youth Services Juvenile Institutions Administration and the Fire Department of Puerto Rico that will be on duty on active duty during the hours of polling
- Inmates in penal institutions located in Puerto Rico
- People who are in the custody of the Juvenile Institutions Administration
- The members of the Commission, the Secretary, Vice-Presidents and Secretaries; alternate commissioners; members of local election commissions, their alternates and members of the boards of permanent registration, as well as employees of the Commission assigned to essential functions on election day, counsel for the Commissioners and Commission staff assigned to Offices of the Electoral Commissioners
- Employees of private companies contracted by the Commission and employees of government agencies required to provide technical services and support on the day of an election
- Professionals and health employees who on the day of an election provide essential services during voting hours
- Journalists and accredited by the State Department who are assigned to work on the day of an election for a media
- Athletes and members of sports teams affiliated sports federations recognized by the Sports and Recreation Department, who were participating in sports competitions outside of Puerto Rico on Election Day
- Any professional will travel by reason of their employment on Election Day
- People who are confined in a hospital or duly authorized health care treatment or long-term and certifying that continue detained the day of the election
- Judges and judges of the Court of First Instance and the Court of Appeal designated by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court for redress of election cases
- Candidates holding elected office in the election
- Persons with mobility impairments (bedridden) who qualify as Easy Access Address voters
Absentee Voting
Residents may vote absentee if they satisfy any of the following circumstances:
- Reside outside Puerto Rico on active duty in the Armed Forces of the United States or the National Guard of Puerto Rico.
- Study outside Puerto Rico, in any educational institution duly accredited by competent authority of the site located where the institution.
- Work with the Department of Labor and Human Resources of Puerto Rico to work in the Program of Agricultural Jobs outside Puerto Rico on election day.
- Outside Puerto Rico in the diplomatic service or foreign aid from the Government of the United States of America or a staff exchange program between the Government of Puerto Rico and a foreign government.
- The spouses and dependent children or relatives of voters who are in any of the previous four groups.
- The crew of commercial airlines and merchant marines who are working outside of Puerto Rico on election day.
- Members of the Police of Puerto Rico and the Corps Officers of the Custody Administration Correction on active duty during the hours of voting, also voters who because of illness or disability, or because of their job, find it impossible to vote.
- Confinement in penal institutions.
- Members of the State Elections Commission, Vice-Presidents and Secretaries, Alternate Commissioners, Members of the Local Election Commissions, their alternates and members of the Board of Registration, as well as employees of the State Commission of Elections.
Please visit the US Vote Disability Voting Guide to see accommodations for the registration and voting process.
Eligibility Requirements
You are eligible to vote in Puerto Rico if you:
- Are a U.S. citizen
- Are a resident of Puerto Rico
- Are at least 18 years old by Election Day
You are NOT eligible to vote in Puerto Rico if:
- A judge has specifically ruled that you are not able to vote.
People who are incarcerated for any reason can always vote in Puerto Rico.
Identification Requirements
Voter Registration
To register to vote in Puerto Rico you should provide one of the following:
- Valid Local Government issued ID
- Last Four Digits of your Social Security Number
- Valid Federal issued ID
- Valid Puerto Rico issued ID
The ID requirements for voter registration vary in Puerto Rico depending on your date and place of birth. Please inquire with the elections board.
Voting In-Person
In Puerto Rico, you need to show a valid ID to vote. You can use any ID from this list:
- Valid Puerto Rico Voter ID Card
Voter Materials Transmission Options
Domestic Voter |
In-Person |
|
Fax |
|
Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voter Registration | |||||
| Absentee Ballot Request | |||||
| Blank Ballot To Voter | |||||
| Voted-Absentee Ballot Return |
State Lookup Tools – Am I Registered?
State Elections Website
Am I Registered?
State Voter Registration FAQ
Overseas / Military Voter Information
Eligibility Requirements
Overseas Voters
U.S. citizens living abroad have the right to vote as absentee voters, provided they are eligible to vote in their state. If you are living outside of the U.S. permanently, indefinitely, or temporarily, your voting rights stay with you, even if you never voted when you lived in the U.S. To vote from overseas:
- Complete and send an overseas voter registration/ballot request form to your election office in the U.S. This is one specific form that will register you as an overseas voter and request your absentee ballot – simultaneously.
Many states allow children who were born overseas, but never lived in the U.S., to use their U.S. parents’ last residence address to register.
Military Voters
Service members and their eligible family members living outside their voting jurisdiction (within or outside the U.S.) are able to vote as absentee voters.
- If you are a service member, or an eligible family member, there is a single form to file for both voter registration and ballot request. It is often called the “Federal Post Card Application” or the FPCA form. This form must be re-filed with your election office each time you change location.
To vote as a service member or eligible family member:
- Complete and send a voter registration/ballot request form “FPCA” to your election office in the U.S. It is the same form in all states.
Identification Requirements
Voting Overseas
U.S. citizens living overseas may register and request a ballot using the overseas voter registration/ballot request form. You will have the following identification options when completing the form:
- U.S. State or Territory or District Issued ID
- Last 4 Digits of your Social Security Number
Voting Military
Service members and their dependents may register and request a ballot using the federal voter registration/ballot request form ("FPCA"). You will have the following identification options when completing the form:
- U.S. State or Territory or District Issued ID
- Last 4 Digits of your Social Security Number
Voter Materials Transmission Options
Overseas Voter |
In-Person |
|
Fax |
|
Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voter Registration | |||||
| Absentee Ballot Request | |||||
| Blank Ballot To Voter | |||||
| Voted-Absentee Ballot Return |
Military Voter |
In-Person |
|
Fax |
|
Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voter Registration | |||||
| Absentee Ballot Request | |||||
| Blank Ballot To Voter | |||||
| Voted-Absentee Ballot Return |