It is the sacred duty of government institutions to protect the vote as the supreme act of democracy. Thus it is imperative to protect the validity and secrecy of every vote cast in the incomplete primary process last Sunday.

It is also important to ensure that voters who couldn´t exercise their fundamental right to vote because the process was suspended, can safely, fairly, and promptly do so.

That is the sensible and logical solution to the current historical wound to our democracy that seriously damages Puerto Rico´s electoral institutions. The institutional remedies, which should be provided by the three government branches in the exercise of their respective and non-renounceable responsibilities, should highlight the importance of primary elections as an essential part of the process leading up to the general elections.

The Constitution establishes that general elections must be held in November. Failing to comply with that mandate would undermine the right to vote as the foundations of our democratic system.

The already initiated primary process must be completed within a schedule that allows holding the elections that allow Puerto Ricans to elect a new government. Constitutional and legal provisions also mandate to only disclose the results once all votes have been cast and counted.

And to that end, it is imperative that Governor Wanda Vázquez  -following the privilege the Constitution has granted her to defend the rights of Puerto Ricans - immediately convenes an extraordinary legislative session to complete the primary process. That is the way to do justice to those voters who were unable to vote on Sunday due to the inefficiency of the government structure and the leadership of the political parties participating in the primaries.

There is no room, either in law or in electoral logistics, to annul the votes cast on Sunday and hold new primary elections for the New Progressive and Popular Democratic parties.

The State Elections Commission indicates that holding a new primary process -which would be in October- would cost $9 million, and would be held in October. An attempt to hold new primary elections is unacceptable in terms of the calendar and budget, and it would also violate the fundamental right to vote. The Oversight Board has approved the disbursement of $1.27 million to complete Sunday’s primary elections.

Putting a person who has already voted in a position to do it again would be like imposing a burden on voters. Many voters waited long hours in the suffocating summer heat and amid the uncertainty resulting from a still uncontrolled pandemic in Puerto Rico. The human dimension of the electoral crisis affecting the people cannot be ignored.

Suspending the primary process has undoubtedly caused irreparable damage in Puerto Rico. Confidence in the different components of the electoral institution and the political class was seriously impacted. The image of our island is once again suffering the shame inspired by some political leaders.

It is necessary to mitigate the severe damage to the fundamental right to vote, protecting the votes cast and allowing those who could not do it on Sunday to vote.

Our constitutional and judicial order and the federal constitutional framework protect every vote cast in Puerto Rico, both in primary and general elections.