<Li> A majority of the electorate wish statehood . </Li> <Li> The proposed new state has sufficient population and resources to support state government and...carry its share of the cost of Federal Government . </Li> <P> In most cases, the organized government of a territory made known the sentiment of its population in favor of statehood, usually by referendum . Congress then directed that government to organize a constitutional convention to write a state constitution . Upon acceptance of that constitution, by the people of the territory and then by Congress, would adopt a joint resolution granting statehood and the President would issue a proclamation announcing that a new state has been added to the Union . While Congress, which has ultimate authority over the admission of new states, has usually followed this procedure, there have been occasions (due to unique case - specific circumstances) where it did not . </P> <P> Puerto Rico has been discussed as a potential 51st state of the United States . In a 2012 status referendum a majority of voters, 54%, expressed dissatisfaction with the current political relationship . In a separate question, 61% of voters supported statehood (excluding the 26% of voters who left this question blank). On December 11, 2012, Puerto Rico's legislature resolved to request that the President and the U.S. Congress act on the results, end the current form of territorial status and begin the process of admitting Puerto Rico to the Union as a state . On January 4, 2017, Puerto Rico's new representative to Congress pushed a bill that would ratify statehood by 2025 . </P>

Which country did we annex and then later recognize as an american state