(03-31-2022, 09:09 PM)DesertBorn Wrote: Ive also wondered if the rest of the country votes on a state splitting up, in the process creating another state, as it also creates two more senators and additional congressional seats.
I don't think it's a referendum type of process, so the rest of the country would not likely vote on it, but Congress would have to OK the split, as I recall, due to the factors you cite - it would create two new Senators. Furthermore, Congress could designate one or the other resulting "states" as a "territory" and refuse it admission to the union with full statehood. On the other hand, one of those "states" might not WANT admission to the Union - that may be why they split off to begin with.
In the matter of a part of one state leaving it's parent state and annexing to another state, no new states would be created, just a boundary adjustment, so Congressional approval would not be required. Instead, there was some discussion of whether approval from Richmond would be required for counties to leave VA. The consensus seemed to be that yes, Richmond would have to approve, but that it would be suicidal for them to refuse.
No new senate seats would be created, and no new House Districts would be created - there would just be a shift of Representatives from one state to the other.
The situation here was unique in that West Virginia was born in war, as it represents the split of a single state, Virginia, into two states during the Civil War. When WV was formed from parts of Virginia, it was written into the Constitution of the newly formed state that it could, at any time, accept membership of other counties... and that provision was never removed from the WV Constitution. So that option is still available with the approval of the WV legislature, which in the matter of Virginia Counties joining has already been voted upon and unanimously approved. Congress approved that as well when they admitted WV to the Union, in hopes of peeling off more VA counties back into the Union without having to defeat thee entire state.
So we would have a smoother path than others might have, as it has all already been approved with the exception of approval from Richmond.
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Diogenes was eating bread and lentils for supper. He was seen by the philosopher Aristippus, who lived comfortably by flattering the king.
Said Aristippus, ‘If you would learn to be subservient to the king you would not have to live on lentils.’ Said Diogenes, ‘Learn to live on lentils and you will not have to be subservient to the king.’
Said Aristippus, ‘If you would learn to be subservient to the king you would not have to live on lentils.’ Said Diogenes, ‘Learn to live on lentils and you will not have to be subservient to the king.’