Puerto Rico Will Again Try to Become a US State

Puerto Rico authorities will hold the sixth referendum on joining the United States as a state. Prior to this, the US Congress had never responded to such referendum. In November 2020, a referendum is to be held in Puerto Rico to officially join the United States as the 51st state. On Sunday, May 17, Wanda Vazquez Garced governor of the island announced. Puerto Rico now has the status of "unincorporated organized territory", that means it is under the United States control and is not being an integral part of it. Despite the fact that in recent decades there have been five referendum on joining the United States, this will be the first to ask the only direct question requiring a simple choice between yes and no: “Do you think Puerto Rico should be immediately recognized as a state of the United States? " In this case, the referendum will again be of a recommendatory nature. To enter Puerto Rico into the United States, a decision of the US Congress is needed, which has never reacted to such referendum. The turnout in the 2017 referendum amounted to only 23 percent of voters. However, about 97 percent of the half million voters cast their ballots for joining the United States. One and a half percent of those who voted spoke up for maintaining the status quo and holding another referendum.