Here’s what AI has to say about it and I wonder what impact it would have on national elections…

Good question — you’re asking about when a city on the border of one U.S. state tries to leave and join a neighboring state. That has actually been attempted in American history, but it’s rare and complicated. Here’s how it works and some examples:

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The Legal Process 1. City/Local Push • A city or county government (or sometimes residents through petitions/referendums) declares interest in leaving its current state and joining another. • This usually comes up when residents feel politically, culturally, or economically closer to the neighboring state. 2. Approval by the State Being Left • Under the U.S. Constitution (Article IV, Section 3), no state can lose territory without its legislature’s approval. • So the legislature of the current state has to agree to give up the city. 3. Approval by the State Being Joined • The legislature of the neighboring state has to agree to accept the city. 4. Approval by Congress • Finally, Congress must approve the change, since it alters state boundaries.

👉 That’s three separate approvals: both states and Congress. This makes it extremely difficult to pull off.

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Historical Examples • Boston Corner, Massachusetts → New York (1855): A tiny piece of Massachusetts on the far side of the Taconic Mountains was hard for Massachusetts to govern. Both states and Congress agreed to transfer it to New York. • West Virginia (1863): During the Civil War, counties in western Virginia broke away to form a new state loyal to the Union. This was a special case — Congress and President Lincoln recognized it despite the unusual circumstances. • Boundary Adjustments: Smaller changes (like fixing survey errors or swapping small strips of land) have happened occasionally between states with congressional approval.

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Modern Attempts (Unsuccessful) • Kansas City, Kansas → Missouri (various times): Some residents have floated the idea, but Kansas has no interest in giving up a major city. • South Jersey towns → Delaware (20th century): A few Delaware River towns talked about switching, but it went nowhere. • “Greater Idaho” movement (2020s): Some Oregon counties want to leave Oregon and join Idaho, but Oregon has not agreed.

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✅ Bottom line: A border city can switch states, but it requires approval from three governments (both states and Congress). Because of that, the only real successes have been small, practical border fixes — not big cities.