Acastus
csmith476
Rookie
Posts: 40
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« on: August 10, 2004, 09:47:44 AM » |
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As a previous poster stated, Puerto Rico needs to apply for statehood and be accepted before they are given a voice in the eletion of federal officials. The process and qualifications for statehood are stated in the Constitution. Deviation from that process would probably require an amendment, such as that for the District of Columbia.
The question itself is politically charged, of course, because such an admission would automatically result in 2 permanent Democrat Senators and 5 or 6 Democrat House members. This would add an extra 7 or 8 electoral votes for the Democrats in each presidential election, and perhaps more, depending on which states lost house seats to make up for the new PR delegation. I wouldn't bet on a GOP congress accepting a PR application for statehood in any event. It'd be an interesting spectacle, though.
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