> voters decided there was a common interest, cultural identity, etc. and mutually agreed on political integration. I'm less confident that this was performed

> voters decided there was a common interest, cultural identity, etc. and mutually agreed on political integration. I'm less confident that this was performed in either location due to direct democracy, and more because it made political sense and was expedient at the time that these locale enacted the governance structure. In other words, it's not a one-and-done-forever type discussion, and things (clearly) evolve over time.