There are two ways in which decisions can be voted on by the citizens, they are called initiatives and referendums. Initiative and referendum are often confused and used interchangeably, however, they are not the same thing. A "referendum" is a law passed by the legislature that is "referred" to the ballot by the voters, who then decide to pass or repeal the law in a statewide general election. It works by submitting an issue to the popular vote, the proposal or issue can itself be called a referendum. In government, the “petition referendum” originates with the voters and provides that a proposed law be put to a popular vote before it can go into effect. In the U.S., the signatures of from 5 to 10 percent of the registered voters are required to validate such a petition and assure that the referendum will be put on an early ballot. The “optional referendum” originates with a legislative body wishing to require that a specific majority of the voters accept a measure before it can become official.

Some supporters believe that statehood would be a good thing, “Representative Henry A. Cooper of Wisconsin, believed that the people of Puerto Rico were civilized and entitled to citizenship in the United States. Another representative named Joseph G. Cannon, states he hopes that Puerto Rico “will not be admitted to statehood within the next generations because the people of Puerto Rico did not have the slightest conception of self-government.” (Perea, p.343, 346)

Some topics in this essay:
Puerto Rico, Congressman Economic, puerto rico, Rico American, Puerto Rican, Hawaii Alaska, Social Security, Spanish-American War, Washington Senators, Public Law, Cooper Wisconsin, admitted union, proposed law, popular vote, statehood puerto rico, statehood puerto, puerto rico statehood, official language, law popular, referendum” originates, english official language, proposal law, people puerto rico, rico admitted union, rico admitted,