2018 Kingsport statehood referendum

2018 Kingsport statehood referendum
Should Kingsport be admitted into the Commonwealth of Estmere as a State?
Location	Kingsport
Date	March 22, 2018 (2018-03-22)
Results Votes % Yes 21,218 7001646700000000000♠64.67% No 11,592 7001353300000000000♠35.33% Valid votes 32,810 7001896600000000000♠89.66% Invalid or blank votes 3,782 7001103400000000000♠10.34% Total votes 36,592 100.00% Registered voters/turnout 44,756 7001817600000000000♠81.76%
Results by parish   Yes     No
Source: Kingsportian Executive

A referendum on whether Kingsport should be admitted as an Estmerish state was held on 22 March 2018 in the overseas territory of Kingsport, to determine whether there was adequate support for the island to join the Commonwealth as a full state, as was suggested by Chief Executive Adi Harjo. Statehood was supported by most major Kingsportian political parties, with the Kabuese Section of the Workers' International being the only party in the Kingsport Assembly to support a no vote. The referendum was held concurrently with a similar referendum in St Roberts and Fleming.

The referendum was binding, as per article 9 of the Estmerish constitution which states that any prospective new states needed to demonstrate adequate support for statehood, but the legislative path to statehood following the referendum was unclear. Prime Minister Richard Graham was seen to be supportive of statehood for the islands, so it was expected that result of the referendum would be ratified in Parliament swiftly.

The result of the referendum saw 64.7% in favour of pursuing statehood, on a high turnout of 81.76%. The political situation in Estmere stalled integration, however, and statehood was only achieved in 2022.

Background

Sovereignty dispute

Estmere purchased the island of Kingsport from the waning Aguda Empire in 1778, having leased the island since 1713. The status of the island has been disputed since the independence of Kabu. South Kabu has officially claimed the island since 1952, while North Kabu claimed the island from 1947 until 1997. Neither state has made any military attempt to recover the territory, but South Kabu in particular have continually leverged diplomatic means to acquire Kingsport. The Community of Nations includes Kingsport on its list of Non-Self-Governing Territories, but this is disputed by the Estmerish government. Kingsport held a referendum in 1997 to determine the level of support on the island for remaining in union with Estmere, with 89.2% of Kingsportians supporting continued Estmerish sovereignty.

Statehood debate

The status of Kingsport within Estmere has also been subject to debate. Powers were gradually devolved to the island beginning in 1986, with a Kingsportian Executive being formed with responsibilities over education, healthcare, transport and further powers over time. Whether to attain statehood, retain this level of devolution, increase it, leave Estmere for independence or enter union with one of the Kabus was an ongoing to political debate within Kingsport. The election of Adi Harjo in the 2017 general election was seen as a victory for those in favour of statehood, as achieving this was a major policy goal of Harjo.

Question

The referendum asked voters one yes or no question, presented in both Estmerish and Kabuese:

Should Kingsport be admitted into the Commonwealth of Estmere as a State?

Apa Pulau Hujung diakoni ing Persemakmuran Estmera minangka Negara?

Voters were permitted to mark a box with an X on either YES/YA WIS or NO/ORA. The wording was the same as used in the concurrent referendum in St Roberts and Fleming.

Endorsements

Political parties

Position	Political parties
Yes		Kingsport Socialist Co-operative Party
		Kingsport United
		Kingsport Sotirian Democratic Union
		The Kingsport Alternative
		Veterans, Soldiers' Wives and Friends of the Forces
No		Kabuese Section of the Workers' International
		Kingsport Independence Party
No official stance		Kingsport Alliance for Change
		Parish Councillors Independent Group

Observers

The Kingsportian Executive invited a number of foreign observers to form a panel for the purposes of ensuring that the referendum was fair and followed democratic norms. The panel was headed by Estmerish backbench MP James Buckman, and included representatives from North and South Kabu. Buckman's final report stated that the observers were impressed with the organisation and conduct of the referendum, that it was free and fair, and that the role of observers was appreciated.

Results

Map of the 2018 Kingsport statehood referendum by parish.

2018 Kingsport statehood referendum

Choice	Votes	%
Yes	21,218	64.7
No	11,592	35.3
Valid votes	32,810	89.66
Invalid or blank votes	29,151	10.3
Total votes	36,592	100.00
Registered voters and turnout	44,756	81.8
Source: Kingsportian Executive

Referendum results

Yes: 21,218 (64.7%)	No: 11,592 (35.3%)
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Reactions

The result was recieved positively in Kingsport and by many in Morwall. The Chief Executive of Kingsport, Adi Harjo, celebrated the result and told the Estmerish government that "the path ahead for Kingsport is now crystal clear: get started on the paperwork".

Richard Graham congratulated Harjo on the result, said he was "immensely proud" of the show of support for statehood, and thanked Kingsportians for "taking part in the democratic process". Opposition leader Zoe Halivar also gave her congratulations, and pushed for the prime minister to start the process of admitting Kingsport as a state "as soon as possible". The Reform Party and the Greens also offered their congratulations, while the Left Party reiterated its support for uniting Kingsport with Kabu.

Despite the participation of South Kabuese in the observation of the referendum, the reaction in South Kabu was mostly negative. Pakaryan decried the result of the referendum as a measure to "retroactively justify imperialist aggression", and said that the referendum cemented "the illegal colonialist occupation of Pulau Hujung". Moderates in the South Kabuese government were more neutral in their assessment.

Aftermath

After the vote in favour of statehood, Richard Graham committed his government to implementing the result. Graham's replacement as prime minister by Reginald Wilton-Smyth and the general election which followed it, however, derailed these plans. Wilton-Smyth was not a major supporter of Kingsportian statehood, and his tenure focused mostly on other policies. Major crises during his term such as heightened tensions with Zorasan and the missing pensions scandal pushed Kingsportian statehood further down the agenda.

The 2021 election and the emergence of a PSD government led by Zoe Halivar led to the plans being revived. The Halivar administration made plans to admit both Kingsport and St Roberts and Fleming as states of the Commonwealth, and statehood was finally granted on 20 September 2022.