NAPREC opens a bilingual gateway to Puerto Rico’s public record and civic action

New digital hub brings 20 issue guides, historical news, legislation, voter pathways, and free tools for contacting elected officials into one place

WASHINGTON, D.C. — October 9, 2026 — The National Puerto Rican Equality Coalition (NAPREC) is introducing an expanded English and Spanish digital hub at puertoricoequality.org to help Puerto Ricans and allies trace the decisions that shape the island’s future, read the underlying public record, and take informed civic action. The launch has also drawn independent coverage from El Nuevo Día, which reported on the portal’s bilingual approach and its focus on the political relationship between Puerto Rico and the United States.

The site is designed around a simple path: start with a question, examine the source, understand what government has and has not done, and choose a practical next step. NAPREC advocates full political equality through statehood. Its research pages identify that position while distinguishing it from a bill’s status, an official vote, a court decision, or the outcome of a local plebiscite.

A record that readers can follow

The research center organizes 20 guides across democracy and rights; health and family security; infrastructure and resilience; and opportunity and accountability. Readers can explore voting representation, political status, the Insular Cases, veterans’ issues, Medicaid, nutrition assistance, SSI, housing, education, electricity, water, broadband, disaster recovery, agriculture, economic opportunity, small business, federal taxes, shipping and the Jones Act, and PROMESA. The guides separate documented facts, open questions, and NAPREC’s advocacy goals. A bilingual fact-sheet collection supports sharing and further reading.

Legislation explainers and links to original documents help visitors distinguish a proposal from an enacted law. The Historical News archive offers a searchable editorial selection of 2021–2026 reporting and public events, with links back to sources. The Journal develops those questions in original articles. Hearing and video archives bring speeches, testimony, congressional proceedings, and NAPREC conversations into the same research journey.

Voting information matched to where people live

The site connects voters to official registration and status services for the 50 states, Washington, D.C., and U.S. territories. Puerto Rico residents can follow the Comisión Estatal de Elecciones’ registration lookup and eRE services; military and overseas voters can find the federal FVAP pathway. The separate Civic Tools center presents Vote.org forms for registration, status checks, mail-ballot requests, election reminders, and ballot previews where available. Its Puerto Rico guidance directs residents to the CEE because the Vote.org state selector does not include Puerto Rico. Eligibility, deadlines, and ballot rules remain those of the relevant election authority.

From learning to a call or message

Visitors can use free third-party services to locate officials and communicate in their own words. Democracy.io offers a route to write to a U.S. representative and senators; Resistbot supports messages through available text, email, fax, and mail routes; and Legisletter’s Call Congress finder helps users identify an office and place a call. Civic Engage offers bill summaries and participation tools, while Congress.gov remains the place to verify official federal bill text and status. The site advises users to confirm their House district when ZIP codes overlap and to check recipients and delivery status. NAPREC does not operate these outside services or receive the information entered into their forms.

The English Start Here and Spanish Comienza aquí pages give newcomers a short route through Puerto Rico’s status question, the historical record, and available civic steps. Visitors can also learn about the committees with jurisdiction, join NAPREC, and support public education and source-based reporting through the site.

A national conversation grounded in evidence

Puerto Rico’s political status is often discussed as an abstract constitutional question. It also bears on federal representation and policy choices concerning health care, disaster recovery, food assistance, infrastructure, and veterans. NAPREC’s goal is to make those questions legible to families on the island, the diaspora, students, journalists, and congressional offices without obscuring where its advocacy begins.

“Puerto Rico’s future deserves an informed public with access to the facts, the legislative record, and practical civic tools,” NAPREC said in its launch statement.

Retired Lieutenant Colonel Dennis Freytes, a NAPREC spokesperson, has emphasized that access to the record matters to families and veterans as well as researchers and advocates. The coalition invites readers to check original sources, flag corrections, and bring specific questions to elected officials.

Explore: puertoricoequality.org · Herramientas cívicas · Recursos de prensa en español

Media inquiries: comms@naprec.org · (407) 908-7151

About NAPREC: The National Puerto Rican Equality Coalition is a national advocacy organization seeking full political equality for Puerto Rico through statehood. It combines public education, source-based research, community engagement, and civic participation. “Our advocacy. Our future. Our voice.”