P.R. Laws tit. 16, § 972
In order to establish an effective process that allows the People of Puerto Rico to express their will with respect to the issue of Puerto Rico’s status in a fair, transparent, and swift manner, a plebiscite shall be held on November 6, 2012, along with the general election. The process shall consist of two questions on the same ballot. Both questions are listed below:
(a) First Question: The People shall vote on the question of whether or not Puerto Rico should continue to have its present form of political status. The first question shall read as follows:
“Instructions: Mark your option of preference. Those ballots with more than one (1) mark in this Section shall not be tallied.
Do you agree that Puerto Rico should continue to have its present form of territorial status?
Yes ____ ____ ____ No ____ ____.”
(b) Second Question: The People shall vote to choose from among the non-territorial options: Statehood, Independence, or Sovereign Commonwealth. The second question shall read as follows: “Instructions: Regardless of your selection in the first question, please mark which of the following non-territorial options would you prefer. Those ballots with more than one (1) mark in this Section shall not be tallied.
(i) Statehood: Puerto Rico should be admitted as a state of the United States of America so that all United States citizens residing in Puerto Rico may have rights, benefits, and responsibilities equal to those enjoyed by all other citizens of the states of the Union, and be entitled to full representation in Congress and to participate in the Presidential elections, and the United States Congress would be required to pass any necessary legislation to begin the transition into Statehood. If you agree, mark here_________. ____ ____ ____.
(ii) Independence: Puerto Rico should become a sovereign nation, fully independent from the United States and the United States Congress would be required to pass any necessary legislation to begin the transition into the independent nation of Puerto Rico. If you agree, mark here ____ ____.
(iii) Sovereign Commonwealth: Puerto Rico should adopt a status outside of the Territory Clause of the Constitution of the United States that recognizes the sovereignty of the People of Puerto Rico. The Sovereign Commonwealth would be based on a free and voluntary political association, the specific terms of which shall be agreed upon between the United States and Puerto Rico as sovereign nations. Such agreement would provide the scope of the jurisdictional powers that the People of Puerto Rico agree to confer to the United States and retain all other jurisdictional powers and authorities. If you agree, mark here ____ ____ ____.”
History —Dec. 28, 2011, No. 283, § 1; Mar. 28, 2012, No. 61, § 1.