“No taxation without representation” was a rallying cry among Americans during the colonial era who were upset at being taxed by the British Parliament, without being represented. They felt that their needs were not being heard so they were being unfairly treated. I’m not advocating for a new age revolution, but it is shocking how applicable this is today. Americans who live in a federal district or territory, even though they are citizens, have minimal say in national affairs. At least Washingtonians can vote in presidential elections, a right not afforded to citizens of the territories. However, none of these non-states can elect voting members to Congress, though D.C. and Puerto Rico can send non-voting representatives and senators, though with no voting comes no power. The population of Puerto Rico alone is around 3.28 million, which would be the 30th largest state by itself, and the total population of all non-states is more than 4.3 million. That is 4.3 million people who are being disenfranchised despite paying taxes, denied the very rights that the United States was founded on.

How can we solve this issue? The most popular idea is to turn D.C. and Puerto Rico into states, with all the rights and responsibilities that come with statehood. The other territories would probably not meet the requirements to be considered for statehood due to their low population. However, due to how politically polarized the United States is at the moment, this is unlikely to ever happen. This is because both D.C. and Puerto Rico would be Democratic states, so Republicans will not agree to make them into states. Another downside to this approach is that 50 states is a perfect number, and adding new states would change that. Not to mention this still ignores the other territories whose citizens are being disenfranchised. Another possible solution would be to have a system similar to the Indian reservations. Tribal lands are in the jurisdiction of the federal government, not the state lands in which they reside. However, Native Americans are still allowed to vote as members of that state. Therefore, even though these reservations are not states themselves, when it comes to elections, they are still considered part of a state. Something similar could be done with the territories. They could be considered part of a different state, maybe the closest state to them when it comes election time. Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands would be counted under Florida, and American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands would be counted under Hawaii. I don’t think this solution is as good as simple statehood, but it does guarantee that everyone has the right to have their voice heard, and it works under an already existing framework.