An unofficial referendum on the sale of the islands to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

was held in the

Danish West Indies The Danish West Indies ( da, Dansk Vestindien) or Danish Antilles or Danish Virgin Islands were a Danish colony in the Caribbean, consisting of the islands of Saint Thomas with ; Saint John ( da, St. Jan) with ; and Saint Croix with . The ...

on 17 August 1916.Dänisch-Westindien (Amerikanische Jungferninseln), 9. Januar 1868 : Abtretung an die USA
Direct Democracy The proposal was approved by 99.83% of voters, with only seven people voting against. It followed the

Treaty of the Danish West Indies The Treaty of the Danish West Indies, officially the Convention between the United States and Denmark for cession of the Danish West Indies, was a 1916 treaty transferring sovereignty of the Virgin Islands in the Danish West Indies from Den ...

, which was signed on 4 August, and also approved by a referendum in Denmark in December 1916. The islands were transferred to the United States in 1917. No vote was held on Water Island, which had been sold by Denmark to the East Asiatic Company, a private shipping company, in 1905, and was no longer part of the colony.

Results

References

{{US Virgin Islands elections 1916 referendums Referendums in Danish West Indies 1916 elections in the Caribbean 1916 in the United States Virgin Islands History of the Danish West Indies Sovereignty referendums