Puerto Rico statehood: will America get a 51st state?

2012-11-09 121

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Puerto Rico statehood: is the US territory closer to statehood? On Tuesday, Puerto Rican voters voiced support for statehood in a non-binding referendum. Voters were asked whether they were happy with the island's status quo and more than 900,000 voters, or 54 percent, responded "no".

But does Puerto Rico really want statehood? Only 800,000 voters voters said they supported statehood. About 437,000 backed sovereign free association and 72,560 chose independence. Nearly 500,000 didn't choose any of the above options.

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Complicating matters: voters tossed out pro-statehood governor Luis Fortuno, who was perceived as being ineffective in dealing with crime and unemployment.

Congress and the president would need to approve statehood for Puerto Rico. Should the island be admitted, it would get five seats in the House of Representatives. If Congress doesn't approve of an enlarged House, those seats could come at a cost to states such as California and Texas.