 If a new U.S. state were to be admitted, it would require a new design of the flag to accommodate an additional star for a 51st state.Potential statehood candidates include U.S. territories, the national capital (Washington, District of Columbia), or a state created from the partition of an existing state.Residents of the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have each voted for statehood in referendums (most recently in the 2016 statehood referendum in the District of Columbia and the 2017 Puerto Rican status referendum.)