American Flags Express Investigates:
Could the U.S. Add 2 New States?
From referendum to adding stars to the American flag.
What would happen if Puerto Rico or Washington DC became states?
US: Butler, WI
The American flag is the only country flag originally designed to anticipate future change. Whether you believe the original flag, with 13 stars, was designed by Betsy Ross or Francis Hopkinson, it’s hard to dismiss the foresight put into the original design that each star represents a state within the union. But, with the US flag bearing 50 stars for as long as most Americans can remember, what happens if we add a new state to the union?
The last time a star was added to the US Flag was when Hawaii became the 50th state added to the union by President Dwight Eisenhower on August 21, 1959. But recently, there has been a debate concerning the admission of Puerto Rico or possibly Washington DC as an additional state. There are several ways this could happen, but it’s interesting to contemplate the most common procedure and the effect it would have on our country and the US flag.
Puerto Rico is currently a US territory. That’s somewhere in between being a state and an independent nation. Puerto Ricans are US citizens that must abide by federal laws and even use US dollars, but if they live in Puerto Rico, they cannot vote in federal elections. In 1998 a referendum vote was held and 53% of Puerto Ricans voted in favor of statehood. Another referendum vote is planned for November 2023. It appears Puerto Rican voters will again choose statehood, and if the country were admitted into the union, would grant US citizens living in Puerto Rico the right to vote in federal elections. The vast majority of Puerto Ricans are Democrats.
Similarly, Washington DC residents also recently voted in favor of statehood. In the 2016 referendum, 86% of DC residents voted for statehood. However, it may not be that simple for Washington DC, and it may even be unconstitutional. Washington DC is a federal district that was formed from land ceded by Maryland and Virginia, and being a federal district, it is subject to exclusive authority by Congress. As stated by Rep. Scott Fitzgerald of Wisconsin, “In order to make DC a state, there would need to be an amendment to the Constitution that changes the language referring to a federal district.” Amending the Constitution is a complex process in and of itself, and it’s done quite rarely. Better yet, there may not be adequate reason to do so. After all, the federal district of Washington DC was originally created to form an unbiased space where the greater good of the nation could be sought. Rep. Fitzgerald elaborates why we might not want to grant Washington DC statehood, saying “The Founding Fathers intended the Federal district to be a neutral location of collaboration among all states in the union, rather than subject to any single state.” An overwhelming percentage of Washington DC residents are Democrats.
Now that the citizens have voted for statehood, the next step is for the House of Representatives to sponsor a bill requesting statehood on behalf of Puerto Rico or Washington DC citizens. The bill is assigned to a committee for study, which can be another considerable hurdle given that both prospective states are a Democratic majority, and the House of Representatives is currently a Republican majority. This simple fact disincentivizes House Republicans from adding a new state that is a Democratic majority. However, if the bill is released from the committee, it is put on the calendar to be voted on, debated, or amended. A simple majority, 218 of 435, will move the bill to the Senate.
In the unlikely event of the bill proceeding to the Senate, it would have a better chance of being passed since the Senate is a democratic majority. It’s easy to understand why a Democratic majority body of Congress would have a predisposition to approve the addition of a new Democratic majority state, although there still may be other objections.
If the bill is approved by the Senate, it then moves to the president. Approval from the current Democratic administration seems likely.
The president has 3 options: sign the legislation into law, veto it (although a veto can be overridden by a two-thirds majority vote in both houses of Congress), or take no action. If the president signs the legislation or takes no action within a specified time, it becomes law.
The final step is the establishment of a state constitution. The state must approve the terms of admission and submit a state constitution that complies with the U.S. Constitution and is then approved by the residents in a referendum vote. If the new state constitution is approved by both houses of Congress, it is sent to the president for final approval and the new state is officially admitted to the union.
This is a simplified version of a very complex procedure, but there’s still one more step. When and where do we add the new star to the US flag? As for when, the new star is traditionally added on the next July 4th. For example, if the entire process is completed and signed by the president on December 31st, the new star would be added on July 4th of the following year.
Where the star goes on the new flag is a more interesting question. The final decision is left up to the president. In the case of Hawaii, Pres. Eisenhower was presented with hundreds of new star patterns. All of them were presented on paper except for one which was submitted by a high school student, Bob Heft, who took time to sew a sample flag as a school project. Ironically, his teacher gave him a grade of B, but young Bob Heft eventually received a call from President Eisenhower congratulating him on the winning design which is still being used to this day.
There is one more important factor that most people wouldn’t think about. Most American flags, 2’ x 3’ and larger, have embroidered stars. Adding an extra star will require reprogramming of large embroidery machines, some of which can measure over 100 feet long with hundreds of sewing heads. These machines are designed and optimized with the existing US flag design of 50 stars. Reprogramming for 51 stars is an immense manufacturing change.
Embroidery machines make hundreds of stars at the same time. Reprogramming this machine for a change in the union is a complex mechanical and digital task.
In addition, the change has to be made for different flag sizes ranging from 2’ x 3’ up to 20’ x 30’. Traditionally, there are 13 different sizes. It’s a huge task affecting the purchase of over 150 million flags sold every year.
The next question is: what happens to old flags with 50 stars instead of 51? The answer is flags with less stars are still considered valid U.S. flags and it is not disrespectful or a violation of the US flag code to fly these flags.
Adding a new state to the union is a complicated process from inception all the way to the addition of another star to the U.S. flag. Amazingly, changing the flag with the admission of new states was part of the plan devised by the founding fathers and even the original designer of the US flag. This dynamism is a core characteristic of the US flag, and so it remains a symbol truly representative of our nation. As we approach the next election, great care should be taken to study the next generation of politicians. Hopefully, we can bring together our nation in a more united union as represented by the stars on our beloved US flag.
About the Author
Thomas J. D’Amico, is President of American Flags Express – manufacturer of flags and flagpoles
American Flags Express
12615 W. Custer Ave.
Butler, WI 53007
262-783-4800
td@flagsexpress.com