Puerto Ricans are heading to the polls to vote on whether its territory will become the 51st U.S. state. The vote comes amid economic hardship, with $70 billion debt and 45 percent poverty rate. Puerto Ricans currently do not pay federal taxes, vote for U.S. presidents, or receive federal funding such as Medicaid. Even if a majority of Puerto Ricans vote for statehood, only Congress has the power to make it happen.
