COMPLAINT PROCEDURE TO THE ELECTION LAW 
RULES AND REGULATIONS 
Please note the Spanish version is the official version; the English version is provided as 
a courtesy. If there are any discrepancies in meaning between the two versions, the 
Spanish version will prevail. 
Approved: October 13, 2004 

TABLE OF CONTENTS 
TITLE I PRELIMINARY DISPOSITIONS 
SECTION 1.1 AUTHORITY 1 
SECTION 1.2 PURPOSES 1 
SECTION 1.3 DEFINITIONS 1 
SECTION 1.4 APPLICABILITY AND REACH 2 
TITLE II EVALUATION COMMITTEE 
SECTION 2.1 APPOINTMENTS 2 
SECTION 2.2 ROLES 2 
SECTION 2.3 EVALUATION COMMITTEE QUORUM 
AND RESOLUTIONS 2 
SECTION 2.4 TERM TO SUBMIT THE REPORT 
TO THE ELECTIONS COMMISSION 2 
SECTION 2.5 REACH OF RECOMMENDATIONS 3 
SECTION 2.6 FOUNDATIONS FOR RECOMMENDING 
THE ARCHIVING OF COMPLAINTS 3 
SECTION 2.7 INTERVENTION BY THE ELECTIONS COMMISSION 3 
SECTION 2.8 TERM TO TAKE ACTION 3 
TITLE III COMPLAINTS 
SECTION 3.1 FILING OF THE COMPLAINT AND NOTIFICATION 4 
SECTION 3.2 COMPLAINT CONTENT 4 
SECTION 3.3 COMPLAINTS THAT DO NOT MEET 
THE REQUIREMENTS 4 
TITLE IV APPEARANCE BEFORE EVALUATION COMMITTEE 
SECTION 4.1 SUMMONS OF APPEARANCE 4 
SECTION 4.2 HEARING ON THE RECORD 5 
TITLE V GENERAL DISPOSITIONS 
SECTION 5.1 COMPLAINTS FROM THE ELECTORAL 
COMMISSIONERS 5 
SECTION 5.2 CONFIDENTIALITY 5 
SECTION 5.3 PENALTIES 5 
SECTION 5.4 TERM VARIATIONS 5 
SECTION 5.5 AMENDMENTS OF THE PROCEDURE 5 
SECTION 5.6 INDEPENDENCE 5 
SECTION 5.7 VALIDITY 6 

ELECTIONS COMMISSION OF PUERTO RICO (CEE) 
COMPLAINT PROCEDURE 
RULES AND REGULATIONS 
TITLE I PRELIMINARY DISPOSITIONS 
SECTION 1.1 AUTHORITY 
This procedure is adopted and promulgated in accordance with the powers 
conferred upon the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico Elections Commission (Elections 
Commission) in articles 1005 sections (e) and (l), and 1007 of the law No.4 of December 
20, 1977 as amended, also known as “Election Law of Puerto Rico” 
SECTION 1.2 PURPOSES 
The purpose of this procedure is to establish the administrative procedure to 
attend to, investigate and resolve all complaints submitted to the Elections Commission 
by any interested party and could constitute an infraction to the election law. 
SECTION 1.3 DEFINITIONS 
All definitions contained in article 1003 of the Election Law of Puerto Rico that 
are applicable to this procedure are incorporated here. 
For the purposes of this procedure the following terms will be understood as 
expressed: 
1.- EVALUATION COMMITTEE: Group of evaluators appointed to represent 
the Elections Commission and the President to examine and investigate 
complaints. 
2.- FILE: All documents included in and related to the complaint. 
3.- ELECTION LAW: Includes Law No.4 of December 20, 1977 as amended, 
also known as Election Law of Puerto Rico, rules and regulations, approved 
resolutions by the Elections Commission, supplementary approved laws by the 
Legislative Assembly and the applicable federal laws. 
4.- COMPLAINT: Any allegation made in writing and under oath by a 
complainant denoting acts, conduct or omissions that could constitute an 
infraction of the applicable election law. 
5.-COMPLAINANT: Any voter, candidate, political party, natural or legal 
entity who alleges that an act, conduct or omission of acts that could constitute an 
infraction to the applicable election law is or has been committed. 
6.- ACCUSED: Any voter, candidate, political party, natural or legal entity who 
is denounced by means of a complaint in the commission of acts, conduct or 
omission of acts that could constitute an infraction of the applicable election law. 
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SECTION 1.4 APPLICABILTY AND REACH 
All dispositions of this procedure are applicable to voters, candidates, political 
parties and natural and legal entities. 
TITLE II EVALUATION COMMITTEE 
SECTION 2.1 APPOINTMENTS 
In accordance with the dispositions of article 1005 section (e) of the Election 
Law, an Evaluation Committee is created and composed of one evaluator representing 
each Elections Commissioner and one representing the President, who will serve as the 
head of the Evaluation Committee. 
SECTION 2.2 ROLES 
The Evaluation Committee will be entrusted to examine the complaints presented, 
formulate assessments and submit the corresponding recommendations to the Elections 
Commission. 
SECTION 2.3 EVALUATION COMMITTEE QUORUM AND RESOLUTIONS 
The participation of at least two (2) Election Commissioner representatives and 
the representative of the President will constitute quorum for all work. 
The Evaluation Committee recommendations must be adopted by unanimous vote 
of all representatives of the Election Commissioners present at the time of evaluation. 
In all matters considered by the Evaluation Committee if the Evaluation 
Committee fails to reach a unanimous vote, the representative of the President, will 
decide, this being the only time or circumstance in which he/she may vote. This decision 
will be considered as the Committee’s ruling. 
Any member of the Committee who opposes the ruling to be submitted in the 
Recommendation Report can record a separate vote, which will be included as part of the 
file to be presented to the Elections Commission. 
SECTION 2.4 TERM TO SUBMIT THE REPORT TO THE ELECTIONS 
COMMISSION 
The Evaluation Committee after reviewing the complaint, and no later than fifteen 
(15) days after the Elections Commission Secretary received the file, must submit a 
report with all recommendations to the Elections Commission Secretariat to be 
considered in the next ordinary session of the Elections Commission. As Election Day 
nears, the maximum time for review by the Evaluation Committee will be shortened as 
directed by article 1007 section (b) of the Election Law of Puerto Rico. 
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SECTION 2.5 REACH OF RECOMMENDATIONS 
The recommendations in the report to the Elections Commission may include but 
are not limited to: (1) proceed to close the complaint without further need for action; (2) 
submit to the Puerto Rico Department of Justice or the appropriate Administrative body; 
(3) proceed according to the law against the accused; (4) submit a recommendation to the 
Elections Commission for remedy of a violation; (5) recommend to the Elections 
Commission that they further investigate the complaint. In the last case, the complaint 
will be pending resolution until the end of the evaluation recommended by the Elections 
Commission. 
SECTION 2.6 FOUNDATIONS FOR RECOMMENDING THE ARCHIVING OF 
COMPLAINTS 
At any stage of the procedure, the following will constitute valid reasons to 
recommend the closing of a complaint without further need for action: 
1.- The complaint does not refer to facts that could constitute an infraction of law. 
2.- Due to the nature of the alleged acts, omissions or conduct, the Elections 
Commission lacks jurisdiction in the matter. 
3.- An anonymous complaint or a complaint filed using a pseudonym or when a 
complaint is filed under the name of a natural person without his/her knowledge 
and consent. 
4.- When the written complaint includes foul language, insults, or obscenity. 
5.- When the complainant refuses to appear before the Evaluation Committee or 
to cooperate by presenting necessary and/or required information. 
6.-The complaint is considered finalized when it has been heard and resolved by 
the Elections Commission, or by the competent court or administrative body with 
legal right to resolve it. 
7.- The substance of the complaint is in process before a competent court or 
administrative body with legal right to resolve it. 
The Elections Commission’s recommendations or determinations concerning complaints 
of alleged violations will be published. 
SECTION 2.7 INTERVENTION BY THE ELECTIONS COMMISSION 
The Elections Commission, after evaluating the Evaluation Committee report, 
may accept, modify, revoke, return for re-evaluation, propose or require a remedy, or 
release a lawful decision. When circumstances justify, the Elections Commission may 
ignore the investigation, proceedings and/or recommendation of the Evaluation 
Committee, when they decide a matter. 
SECTION 2.8 TERM TO TAKE ACTION 
Once the report is submitted to the Elections Commission, it must take action 
within fifteen (15) days. If the Elections Commission does not take any of the actions 
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mentioned in section 2.7, within the prescribed term, it will be assumed that the Elections 
Commission has reviewed the report and agrees with the recommended decision. In this 
case, the decision will be considered as the Elections Commission’s decision and must be 
enforced within the following five (5) days. As Election Day nears, the maximum time 
for review for Elections Commission action will be shortened as directed by article 1007 
section (b) of the Election Law of Puerto Rico. 
TITLE III COMPLAINTS 
SECTION 3.1 FILING OF THE COMPLAINT AND NOTIFICATION 
All complaints shall be presented to the Elections Commission’s Secretariat in 
original with five (5) additional copies. The Secretary will open a file, assign it a number 
and notify both parties, complainant and accused, providing them with a copy of the 
complaint. 
The Secretary will present the file to the President of the Evaluation Committee 
within twenty four (24) hours after receiving it. Once the President has received it, 
he/she shall call on the Evaluation Committee to meet within the following seventy two 
(72) hours, to initiate the evaluation process. 
SECTION 3.2 COMPLAINT CONTENT 
All complaints must be presented in writing and must include: 
1.- Accused’s name and address. 
2.- Complainant’s name, address and signature. 
3.- A concise statement of facts that supposedly could constitute a violation of 
election law. All supporting documents that sustain the basis of the complaint 
should be included. 
4.- Notarized statement under oath indicating that all facts are true and of personal 
knowledge. 
SECTION 3.3 COMPLAINTS THAT DO NOT MEET THE REQUIREMENTS 
For those complaints that do not meet the previous requirements, the Secretary 
will assign a file number and notify the complainant giving him/her ten (10) days to 
comply with the requirements, advising him/her that if he/she does not comply within 
the period, the complaint will be rejected. The Secretary will keep the file until the 
requirements are met or until the complaint is discarded for non-compliance. 
TITLE IV APPEARANCE BEFORE EVALUATION COMMITTEE 
SECTION 4.1 SUMMONS OF APPEARANCE 
In order to investigate the complaint, the Evaluation Committee, through the 
Elections Commission, may require the appearance before the Evaluation Committee of 
any person, including the complainant. The summons of appearance may include the 
obligation to provide reports or related documents. 
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SECTION 4.2 HEARING ON THE RECORD 
At the request of any complainant, there shall be a hearing on the record. 
TITLE V GENERAL DISPOSITIONS 
SECTION 5.1 COMPLAINTS FROM THE ELECTORAL COMMISSIONERS 
This procedure is not applicable to the members of the Elections Commission; 
any complaints they have should be discussed and resolved among the Elections 
Commission, as otherwise according to the law. 
SECTION 5.2 CONFIDENTIALITY 
Complaint files will be considered private documents from the time they are filed 
until a decision by the Elections Commission. 
SECTION 5.3 PENALTIES 
Any person that is found to have knowingly and fraudulently acted in violation of 
this procedure will be sanctioned according article 8005 of the Election Law of Puerto 
Rico, which establishes a maximum of three (3) months in jail or a maximum fine of 
three hundred US dollars (US$300.00), or both at the Tribunal’s discretion. 
SECTION 5.4 TERM VARIATIONS 
The terms established in this procedure not prescribed in the Election Law of 
Puerto Rico, could be modified by the Elections Commission in special cases and with 
justified reason. 
SECTION 5.5 AMENDMENTS OF THE PROCEDURE 
This procedure may be amended by the Elections Commission at any convenient 
time deemed beneficial for a better enforcement of the Election Law of Puerto Rico. 
SECTION 5.6 INDEPENDENCE 
If any title, article, section, part, paragraph or clause of this procedure were to be 
declared unconstitutional by a competent court, the judgment in that effect will not affect 
or invalidate the rest of its content. 
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SECTION 5.7 VALIDITY 
This procedure will be in effect once the requisites stated in Article 1005 section 
(l) are met that require prior notification of the Governor of Puerto Rico and the 
Legislative Assembly through publication to that effect for two (2) times in a period of 
two (2) weeks in two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
Signed in San Juan, Puerto Rico on October 13, 2004. 
AURELIO GRACIA MORALES 
President 
GERARDO A. CRUZ MALDONADO 
Electoral Commissioner PPD 
THOMAS RIVERA SCHATZ 
Electoral Commissioner PNP 
JUAN DALMAU RAMIREZ 
Alternate Electoral Commissioner PIP 
CERTIFICATE: 
This procedure was approved by the Commonwealth Elections Commission in ordinary 
session held on the 13 of October, 2004. I herby certify in San Juan, Puerto Rico on 
October 20, 2004. 
RAMON M. JIMENEZ FUENTES 
Secretary 
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