Puerto Rico voters approve statehood referendum
A majority of voters in Puerto Rico approved a non-binding referendum that supports elevating the island territory to statehood status.
The referendum narrowly passed by a 52-48 margin.
The question was not the first time voters weighed in on Puerto Rico statehood. Most recently, 97% of voters approved statehood in 2017, but the vote was boycotted by opposition parties.
Several previous referenda were not a straight up statehood vote.
Given Puerto Rico’s status, the territory does not vote on US senators or representatives, although the territory elects a non-voting member who can serve on committees. Puerto Rico also does not get a vote in the presidential general election, but the territory does get a say in the Democratic and Republican primaries.
While Democrats would likely welcome the opportunity to make Puerto Rico a state, the likelihood of there being enough political support for Puerto Rico to be the 51st state is still doubtful.
