The last referendum among Puerto Ricans addressing their political status and the relationship with the United States was held on November 5, 2024. In this referendum, the option to maintain the current status as a U.S. territory was not presented. Voters chose among statehood, independence, or independence with free association. Statehood received about 57% of the vote in this non- binding plebiscite, which was called by Governor Pedro Pierluisi and followed the U.S. House of Representatives' 2022 approval of a bill to help Puerto Rico move toward a change in territorial status.
The last referendum before that which explicitly offered choices including maintaining the current relationship was the 1998 referendum, held on December 13, 1998. In this referendum, several options were presented, including limited self-government, free association, statehood, sovereignty, and "none of the above." A slim majority of 50.5% voted for "none of the above," which was interpreted as rejecting the options offered, including the current territorial relationship with the U.S. Commonwealth advocates had urged voters to vote this way because the "commonwealth" option on the ballot did not recognize the constitutional protections of U.S. citizenship and the mutual consent nature of the relationship.
In summary:
- The most recent referendum in 2024 did not include the current status and showed a preference for statehood.
- The last referendum that included the current relationship as an option was in December 1998, where the "none of the above" option (rejection of the options including the current status) narrowly won.
