The Blubber

California Secretary of State Approves Petition for Independence Vote

California Secretary of State Shirley Weber has given the green light for a campaign to collect signatures in support of a ballot initiative asking whether California should secede from the United States and become an independent nation.

Marcus Evans, the campaign leader, confirmed the move to Newsweek via email on Saturday outside regular office hours. The White House was also contacted for comment.

Why This Matters

California is the wealthiest and most populous state in the U.S. According to the International Monetary Fund's 2023 World Economic Outlook, it ranks as the fifth-largest economy in the world, ahead of the United Kingdom and behind Japan and India.

The pro-independence group Calexit has stated that Donald Trump's victory in the 2016 election was "an attack on everything California cares about," strengthening the argument for the state’s secession. Additionally, in 2024, the Texas Republican Party included in its platform a call for a referendum on Texas becoming "an independent nation."

What You Need to Know

On Thursday, Weber confirmed that the initiative for the independence petition, launched by Evans from Fresno, can now begin gathering signatures.

To have the independence question placed on the 2028 ballot, organizers need to collect 546,651 signatures, which equals 5% of the votes cast for Governor Gavin Newsom in the November 2022 election. These signatures must be submitted to county elections officials by July 22, 2025.

The petition's proposed question to voters is: "Should California leave the United States and become a free and independent country?"

Campaign Details

The initiative requires that at least 50% of registered voters in California participate in the vote, with 55% of participants supporting secession for it to be considered "a vote of no confidence in the United States" and a clear indication of the state's desire to become independent.

However, the outcome would not be legally binding, and the federal government would have no obligation to act on it.

The initiative also proposes creating a commission to explore California's viability as an independent nation. It would allocate $10 million for the commission and election costs, with an additional $2 million in state funds to support the commission's work.