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2016 Jurisprudencia del Tribunal Supremo de P. R. del año 2016 2016 DTS 227 SAN ANTONIO ACHA V. GARCIA VELEZ, CEE, 2016TSPR227 EN EL TRIBUNAL SUPREMO DE PUERTO RICO Guillermo San Antonio Acha, en su capacidad oficial como Comisionado Electoral del Partido Popular Democrático Peticionario v. Liza García Vélez, en su capacidad oficial como Presidenta de la Comisión Estatal de Elecciones; Aníbal Vega Borges, en su capacidad oficial como Comisionado Electoral del Partido Nuevo Progresista; Roberto I. Aponte Berríos, en su capacidad oficial como Comisionado Electoral del Partido Independentista Puertorriqueño y José F. Córdova Iturregui, en su capacidad oficial como Comisionado Electoral del Partido del Pueblo Trabajador Recurridos Aníbal Vega Borges, en su capacidad oficial como Comisionado Electoral del Partido Nuevo Progresista Peticionario v. Liza García Vélez, en su capacidad oficial como Presidenta de la Comisión Estatal de Elecciones; Guillermo San Antonio Acha, en su capacidad oficial como Comisionado Electoral del Partido Popular Democrático; Partido Independentista Puertorriqueño, por conducto de su Comisionado Electoral Sr. Roberto U. Aponte Berrios; Partido del Pueblo Trabajador por conducto de su Comisionado Electoral Dr. José F. Córdova Iturregui Recurridos 2016 TSPR 227 196 DPR ___ (2016) 196 D.P.R. ___ (2016) 2016 DTS 227 (2016) Número del Caso: CT-2016-15 Fecha: 4 de noviembre de 2016

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San Antonio Acha v. García Vélez

Judgment

Question Presented: Whether the Puerto Rico State Elections Commission (CEE) violated the due process rights of voters with mobility impairments by denying their early voting applications (voto adelantado) based on alleged deficiencies in their forms — including missing signatures, incomplete information, and suspected fraud (e.g., dozens of applications certified by the same physician on the same date) — while simultaneously failing to provide timely notice of those denials, thereby depriving the voters of any meaningful opportunity to cure the defects before the November 8, 2016 general election.

Alleged Acts: The controversy arose during the evaluation of early voting applications (voto adelantado) for voters with mobility impairments ahead of the November 8, 2016 general elections in Puerto Rico. Under Puerto Rico's electoral law, registered voters who suffer from a condition that impedes their mobility and prevents them from going to their assigned polling places on election day may request early voting — including "at-home" early voting for bedridden voters (encamados). The request requires medical certification of the mobility impairment. The State Elections Commission (Comisión Estatal de Elecciones, or "CEE"), presided over by defendant García Vélez, had initiated a process through which at least 10,000 Puerto Rican citizens were granted access to early voting due to mobility impediments. However, 788 of these applications were challenged before the CEE due to alleged defects.

Procedural history: On October 28, 2016 — just days before the November 8 general election — the Electoral Commissioner of the Partido Nuevo Progresista (PNP) petitioned the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico to review the CEE's denials, asking the Court to authorize the hundreds of denied early voting applications for persons with mobility impairments.

Summary: In the weeks leading up to the November 8, 2016 general elections in Puerto Rico, the State Elections Commission (CEE) processed over 10,000 applications for early voting from voters with mobility impairments who were unable to go to their assigned polling places on election day. The CEE identified 788 applications as potentially defective. However, the CEE sent the denial notices late to the affected voters, giving them no meaningful opportunity to respond to the alleged defects or to cure the deficiencies before the election.

Conclusion: The Court ruled that the CEE's late notification of its denial resolution violated the due process rights of disabled voters, and as a remedy, validated all of the challenged early voting applications, thereby allowing the hundreds of voters with mobility impairments to cast their ballots in the November 8, 2016 general election.

Legal Issue(s)

Accessibility
Voter Registration
Voters' Rights

Applicable Law(s): Puerto Rico Constitution, Article II, § 7, and Puerto Rico Electoral Law

Region: Americas

Country: Puerto Rico

Language of Decision

Spanish

Court: Supreme Court

Election Type: General

Date of decision: Nov 4, 2016

Geolocation

Latitude: 18.4578

Longitude: -66.0863

: Geolocation

Link: https://www.lexjuris.com/LexJuris/tspr2016/lexj2016227a.htm

Primary Documents

San Antonio Acha v. García Vélez.pdf
Spanish
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San Antonio Acha v. García Vélez

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