After delayed elections, the PRSSA faces more issues

The Puerto Rico Statehood Students Association (PRSSA) finally held their elections for this year, as required in their constitution.

The national board is now composed of the President Kevin McClintock, son of the PRSSA’s founder Kenneth McClintock, Executive Vice President Jose Erial Gomez, Associate Vice President José Emanuel Cabán, Secretary Pedro Rodriguez, and Treasurer Nelson Rodriguez.

There has been concern in the past couple of years as to why these elections have been postponed. In fact, this year, there was concern that the election would not take place. According the association’s constitution elections shall be held annually between the second and third weeks of May. This year, National Board Elections for the PRSSA were held through an online election portal, on July 25, 2016.

The disrepair of PRSSA’s website, statehoodpr.org, from 2015, is still present in 2016. Certain links in the website are inaccessible or broken. The decline of efficiency in the organization has taken a toll on the number of participants in the association and could potentially affect the outcome of certain legislation being passed.

The delay of elections in the past few years has deprived the new board members critical time in office necessary to fulfill previously set objectives, as well as prevented other from receiving enough notice to participate and run in the elections. There was no response when the organization was asked to comment on the issue of the continuous delay in elections.  

Issues for the PRSSA have become far more pressing with the issues of democracy in Puerto Rico being so important at this time. It would seem that now would be the time more than ever for the PRSSA to be taking initiative and being as productive with the organization as possible. Although they have recently been on social media websites such as Facebook and Twitter promoting the election, they have otherwise been dwindling on their social media impact as well.

Recently the PRSSA has been experiencing some minor setbacks, but it does not seem as though these issues will lead to the organization’s end.  This recent lack of organization could easily be restored if the PRSSA is willing take the right steps to do so.