Should Puerto Rico become a state?

[RaphaelDLG]

NO TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION!

I mean, this is America, right?  But DC has it even worse; at least PR is exempt from one type of tax.

[RaphaelDLG]

If DC is pared down to the small area aroubd the Mall and the White House, do the residents of that tiny area still get three electoral votes?

I would assume that (other than the White House) the only areas that would be legally considered part of DC would be non-residential buildings, even if it meant that DC was this patchy area that wasn't a nice neat square.

And no, obviously normatively the President and his/her spouse and children should not have their votes count equal to 1.5 million people.

[RaphaelDLG]

Do does that mean that there has to be an amendment to repeal the relevant amendment giving DC the electoral votes?

I think that's right.  The best strategy might be to ram a retrocession bill through Congress, which would force the Republicans needed for the 23rd repeal's supermajority and the state governments to cooperate quickly lest insanity ensue

[RaphaelDLG]

I couldn't agree more. Both should become states (though I personally prefer to integrate DC into either Virginia or Maryland).

It would have to be Maryland, as the land DC occupies now was all part of Maryland. Virginia got its land back in the 1800s. However, Maryland would have to agree to this, and they never would. Adding DC to the state would turn the state power structure on its head, let alone the other effects.

On the other hand, MD would never have a Republican Governor again and would end up with a legislature as perpetually Democratic as Massachusetts.

Maryland's Democratic party is already holding the record for longest time a state legislature has been in one party's control, so it's already at Massachusetts level. And it's not like Larry Hogan is a "rock the boat" Republican, he's one of the most popular governors at the moment.

I think her argument is that a lot of the power brokers in Maryland's government are currently concentrated in Baltimore, and though the Democratic party would become like, Hawaii or Vermont level strong in aggregate, the individuals who would pass the bill would have their personal power diluted when the huge (Democratic-leaning) population center of Montgomery County joins.