Advocates pushing to have California secede from the rest of the United States have been given the green light to collect signatures for their longshot initiative.
California Secretary of State Alex Padilla announced on Monday that a secession ballot proposal had been cleared that allowed a group called Yes California to start collecting signatures.
Backers of the initiative, which has been dubbed ‘Calexit’, are aiming to collect enough signatures in a bid to place it on a ballot.
This most recent effort is the third Calexit proposal since President Donald Trump took office.
Advocates pushing to have California secede from the rest of the United States have been given the green light to collect signatures for their initiative for independence
Prior efforts for independence – in 2015 and 2017 – have failed to collect signatures or simply been withdrawn.
The newest proposal with ask voters about a 2020 secession.
If it gets passed, a second election would be held the following year to affirm the decision.
Yes California has until October to collect nearly 366,000 signatures.
Calexit enthusiasts are pushing for independence on grounds the state is out of step with the rest of the US and could flourish on its own.
Yes California co-founder Louis Marinelli said: ‘We realize it may seem like a long time to wait but we need time to have a serious dialogue with the people of California about why they should support the independence referendum by voting yes.
Prior efforts for independence – in 2015 and 2017 – have failed to collect signatures or simply been withdrawn. The newest proposal with ask voters about a 2020 secession
‘The voters need to make an informed decision when they go to the polls to determine California’s political future.’
Fellow organizer Marcus Ruiz Evans said the timing of the referendum was strategic.
‘It is very possible that President Trump will be reelected in 2020. Don’t tell us it won’t happen because frankly people said it wouldn’t happen in 2016,’ he said.
‘If President Trump is reelected in 2020, Californians will want to secede from the United States just as they wanted to following the 2016 election. This ballot measure we are now circulating will make this vote possible.
‘We are asking the people to hedge their bet in 2020: vote against Donald Trump, but at the same time vote to schedule an independence referendum for six months later on May 4, 2021. You may end up wanting the referendum if he is reelected.’
With nearly 40 million people, Democratic California is the country’s most populous state and the sixth largest economy in the world.
It has been at loggerheads with President Donald Trump’s administration over its immigration and environmental policies as well as other issues.
Calexit enthusiasts are pushing for independence on grounds the state is out of step with the rest of the US and could flourish on its own