Activists who want California to secede from the nation may begin collecting signatures on a petition to put the question before voters in 2020, according to Secretary of State Alex Padilla.
The third “Calexit” proposal hopes to succeed — and secede — where two previous attempts failed, according to the Associated Press:
The latest version of the so-called Calexit initiative would ask voters about secession in 2020. If it passes, a second election would be held a year later asking voters to affirm the decision.
The initiative is proposed by Marcus Ruiz Evans and Louis Marinelli of a group called Yes California, which proposed California independence initiatives in 2015 and 2017.
A rival group proposed a Calexit initiative last year but did not turn in the required signatures.
Proponents have until Oct. 17 to collect nearly 366,000 signatures.
The second attempt at the initiative met with failure last year, as Breitbart News reported at the time:
The first attempt failed, and was subsequently withdrawn from consideration in April.
The original initiative was clouded by rumors of Russian involvement and irreconcilable differences among leadership.
This latest initiative, which will be titled “California Autonomy From Federal Government,” according to Becerra’s press release, must gather 585,000 valid signatures to qualify for the 2018 ballot.
California’s left-wing voters showed unusual interest in seceding after President Donald Trump won in 2016.
However, the new so-called “Resistance” movement gave the state’s liberals new hope. Democrats are targeting several Republican-held seats in California where Hillary Clinton won majorities in 2016.
State leaders, while discouraging ideas of secession, have repeated the old Confederate gesture of attempting to nullify federal law on immigration. They have also sued the Trump administration over many of its policies.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News. He was named to Forward’s 50 “most influential” Jews in 2017. He is the co-author of How Trump Won: The Inside Story of a Revolution, which is available from Regnery. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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