Aside from that. How could it happen? Can a portion of a State secede from the state and become a state? Like North and South Carolina?
“Can a portion of a State secede from the state and become a state?”
It was wartime, but West Virginia seceded from Virginia.
Maine was drawn out of Massachusetts. Vermont was cut out of New York (colony). West Virginia seceded from Virginia. The Northwest Territory started as Wise County Virginia ~ it’s now a bunch of states.
Sure can. Isn't even particularly difficult.
Only a majority vote in the legislature of the state affected and in Congress is required, making it a whole lot easier to get through than an amendment,
US Constitution, Article 4, Section 3: New States may be admitted by the Congress into this Union; but no new States shall be formed or erected within the Jurisdiction of any other State; nor any State be formed by the Junction of two or more States, or parts of States, without the Consent of the Legislatures of the States concerned as well as of the Congress.
Proposals have been made to split most states at one time or another.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._state_partition_proposals
Texas has the right to split into up to 5 states as part of the agreement that brought it into the Union, if Congress agrees. This would give TX 10 senators.
I believe the State government would have to approve the split and then Congress would have to approve. Not sure though.