A new initiative, proposed by Marcus Evans from Fresno, has been approved to collect signatures, asking whether California should become an independent country.
The big picture: If the initiative gathers enough signatures, it will be featured on the November ballot with the question, “Should California leave the United States and become a free and independent country?”
- The success criteria for the initiative includes a requirement for at least 50% of registered voters to participate in the election, and at least 55% of them to vote “yes” in order to constitute “a vote of no confidence in the United States of America”.
- If successful, the initiative would signify “an expression of the will of the people of California” to become an independent country, without changing California’s current government or its relationship with the United States.
- Supporters of the initiative are required to collect 546,651 signatures, equating to five percent of the total votes cast for Governor in the November 2022 general election, within 180 days.
- The deadline for submitting the signatures to county elections officials is set for July 22, 2025.