An unofficial referendum on the sale of the islands to the
United States was held in the
Danish West Indies on 17 August 1916.[1] The proposal was approved by 99.83% of voters, with only seven people voting against.[1] It followed the
Treaty of the Danish West Indies, 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.[2]