ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the 1990 election in an East Harlem neighborhood (El Barrio) in order to understand the relationship between the electoral process and Puerto Rican politics in New York City as experienced by the community. It presents a historical snapshot of the political participation of Puerto Ricans in El Barrio as observed during the 1990 election campaign. For the Puerto Rican community and El Barrio, the low levels of electoral participation and mobilization manifested in the 1990 elections are an exception to the historical experience. Despite El Barrio's image as the home to the city's Puerto Ricans, it has been steadily losing its preeminence to other parts of the New York metropolitan area. An insightful interview with a prominent neighborhood leader, Antonio Rivera, provided another dimension of life in El Barrio. Candidates for statewide offices, such as governor and lieutenant governor, made no direct outreach efforts to El Barrio.
