The Puerto Rico State Elections Commission (CEE) referred to the Department of Justice the case of an Arecibo voter who presented an electoral ID card that officials determined was not issued by the agency. The voter reportedly said he obtained it from the municipal committee of José “Memo” González, the New Progressive Party (PNP) candidate for Arecibo mayor in 2024.
CEE president Jorge Rafael Rivera Rueda concluded the evidence had "sufficient seriousness and specificity" to be evaluated by the appropriate authority and ordered the commission’s secretary to refer the case to Justice Secretary Lourdes Gómez Torres. The incident occurred August 4, when the voter went to an Arecibo Permanent Registration Board (JIP) seeking a duplicate ID.
Registration officials Keyla L. Ortega (Popular Democratic Party) and Radamés Medina Concepción (Puerto Rican Independence Party) noticed the card was not an official CEE ID, questioned the voter, and retained the card, documenting the incident. The case reached the CEE after Representative Ramón Torres Cruz requested an investigation on August 25 into the alleged issuance and use of unofficial, possibly cloned or electronically reproduced, voter cards.
The CEE gathered documentation from the JIP, including meeting-book photos, the voter’s data update form, the officials’ written account, photos of the card, and an incident report from Precinct 026’s Local Commission. The resolution stated the documents corroborate the incident, which could constitute a criminal violation if proven.