Puerto Rico statehood vote more complicated that it appears

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Ben Fox & Danica Coto, Huffingotn Post -  A majority of Puerto Ricans have opted for the first time to become the 51st U.S. state in what jubilant members of the pro-statehood party call a resounding sign that the island territory is on the road to losing its second-class status.

But Tuesday's vote comes with an asterisk and an imposing political reality: The island remains bitterly divided over its relationship to the United States and many question the validity of this week's referendum.

There's also the fact that voters also ousted the pro- statehood governor, eliminating one of the main advocates for a cause that would need the eventual approval of the U.S. Congress.

"Statehood won a victory without precedent but it's an artificial victory," said Angel Israel Rivera Ortiz, a political science professor at the University of Puerto Rico. "It reflects a divided and confused electorate that is not clear on where it's going."...

Luis Delgado Rodriguez, who leads a group that supports sovereign free association, noted that 450,000 voters left the second question blank, raising questions about their preference. He said that those voters, coupled with those who support independence and sovereign free association, add up to more than those who favored statehood.

"This represents an overwhelming majority against statehood," he said.

The results are also murky because everyone could vote in the second round -- no matter their answer to the first question -- and the choice of "sovereign free association," is not the same as the current status. In other words, people could have voted for both no change in the first round and any of the choices in the second. Nearly 65,000 left the first question blank.

"With that kind of message, Congress is not going to do anything, and neither is President Obama," Rivera said.