Forget this ridiculous sideshow of election; this is the vote that should really be in the news everywhere, and which can potentially change the future of American politics:
For the first time, Puerto Ricans have voted for statehood.
This does not, of course, mean that the process of statehood for Puerto Rico has started: the referendum was nonbinding, that would require official action by both the Puerto Rican government and Congress, and there are obviously a lot of things that would have to be done even to gear up to something like that. But assuming this isn't a statistical fluke, and isn't due to people being confused about the questions, this is a notable shift, one that might eventually result in a definite difference in the political landscape. Puerto Ricans are already U.S. citizens, but since Puerto Rico is a territory rather than a state, it has no Electoral College votes and only nonvoting representation in Congress.
Of course, the big question is how in the world we're going to get fifty-one stars in the blue of Old Glory without making the flag look odd. It's already a very star-spangled banner. Here are two suggestions; the first is minimal change -- with all the stars that are already there, it's hardly noticeable -- and the second a bolder change. I like the circular star pattern, but I don't know if people in general would actually go for it.
