51st state

[muon2]

The vast majority of you voted for Puerto Rico.
So, how many electoral votes would would it be allocated?

The population of PR is slightly less than OK. It should get 5 Reps and 7 EV if it were a state.

That means the number of representatives would rise by 5 seats?

Congress has the ability to set the number of members, and up until 1920 the number regularly increased with new states and with the decennial census. It would be highly unlikely that members would give up so many seats from existing states to accommodate PR. BTW, the US House chamber could seat over 600 members so the building is not an issue.

[bgwah]

When HI and AK joined, the number of House seats was temporarily increased by 2 seats to 437, but returned to 435 after the 1960 reapportionment.

[Meeker]

The vast majority of you voted for Puerto Rico.
So, how many electoral votes would would it be allocated?

The population of PR is slightly less than OK. It should get 5 Reps and 7 EV if it were a state.

That means the number of representatives would rise by 5 seats?

Congress has the ability to set the number of members, and up until 1920 the number regularly increased with new states and with the decennial census. It would be highly unlikely that members would give up so many seats from existing states to accommodate PR. BTW, the US House chamber could seat over 600 members so the building is not an issue.

They'd have to build another office building.

[shua]

Texas II through V

[True Federalist]

The vast majority of you voted for Puerto Rico.
So, how many electoral votes would would it be allocated?

The population of PR is slightly less than OK. It should get 5 Reps and 7 EV if it were a state.

That means the number of representatives would rise by 5 seats?

Congress has the ability to set the number of members, and up until 1920 the number regularly increased with new states and with the decennial census. It would be highly unlikely that members would give up so many seats from existing states to accommodate PR. BTW, the US House chamber could seat over 600 members so the building is not an issue.

They'd have to build another office building.

Or reduce the size of the staff each Congresscritter gets.

[Duke David]

Will the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and American Samoa ever become states one day?

[ag]

Will the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and American Samoa ever become states one day?

USVI has population of 110 thousand people
Northern Marianas have population of 54 thousand
Guam has population of 178 thousand
American Samoa has population of 68 thousand

Even taken together they don't even come close to Wyoming. Unless, for some reason, there occurs an unforseen major population explosion somewhere, it is extremely unlikely any of them would get statehood.

[True Federalist]

Will the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and American Samoa ever become states one day?

USVI has population of 110 thousand people
Northern Marianas have population of 54 thousand
Guam has population of 178 thousand
American Samoa has population of 68 thousand

Even taken together they don't even come close to Wyoming. Unless, for some reason, there occurs an unforseen major population explosion somewhere, it is extremely unlikely any of them would get statehood.

I could possibly see a State of Marianas if Guam and the Northern Marianas were to merge, just as the Oklahoma and Indian Territories merged to form the State of Oklahoma.  Both Guam and NMI had been having very rapid population growth until the last census.  If that rate of growth were to resume, a combined Marianas would be up to Wyoming levels by mid-century.

[Duke David]

I wish the user who has clicked on "other" told us which state we was thinking of.

[Ethelberth]

Superior (Upper peninsula and New Bergsslagen (Duluth and Iron Range).

[Duke David]

Superior (Upper peninsula and New Bergsslagen (Duluth and Iron Range).

If that ever happens they ought to opt for the other name: Ontonagon.

It sounds so futuristic.

[A cowboy always follows his beard]

Other-Afghanistan.

[True Federalist]

Well if we're going outside the current U.S. territorial limits, we've got seven on our northern border ready to be added, Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, and Atlantica. While I'm not opposed to Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, or Newfoundland and Labrador becoming states even if they would likely never have but 1 Representative in the House each, but I am opposed to Epekwitk becoming a state as it is too small in population to be a proper Canadian province, let alone a U.S. State, so merging the maritimes into a single state makes some sense, tho it would likely never happen unless Canada were added to the United States by conquest.