Bills have been introduced in Guam’s legislature, and also in the legislature of the Northern Mariana Islands, calling for a popular vote in each territory on whether the two should be reunified. See this story. Thanks to Michael Richardson for the news.

The two adjacent territories have not been united politically since Spain owned both of them. After the Spanish-American War of 1898, the United States required Spain to cede Guam. The United States was not especially interested in owning the other northerly islands in the same chain, so Spain sold the Northern Mariana Islands to Germany. During World War I and its aftermath, Germany lost them to Japan. Japan conquered Guam in World War II momentarily. After the war, the United States regained Guam as a territory, and the Northern Mariana Islands became a U.N. trusteeship under the direction of the United States. Later, the trusteeship was dissolved, and the Northern Mariana Islands became a commonwealth of the United States, similar in status to Puerto Rico. Both Guam (an unincorporated territory) and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands send a non-voting Delegate to the U.S. House.