California‘s “Calexit” initiative is one step closer to becoming a reality after secessionists received approval to collect signatures.
Calexit is a movement for the largest U.S. state to secede from the union, though the initiative’s website offers contradictory definitions.
“CALEXIT is the term used to refer to California exiting the union and becoming an independent, self-governing nation. CALEXIT is not independence. Rather, CALEXIT is the process that gets California to independence,” the website reads.
In a statement, California Secretary of State Shirley Weber said the leader of the movement, Marcus Ruiz Evans, is allowed to collect signatures for a petition that would trigger a ballot initiative to make California an independent state.
However, the measure would be non-binding, only expressing “a vote of no confidence in the United States of America” and an “expression of the will of the people of California” to secede. The measure would require at least 50% voter participation and 55% of the vote to be successful.
To land on the November 2028 ballot, the initiative must collect the signatures of 546,651 registered voters — 5% of the voters who voted for governor in 2022.
The ballot would be worded neutrally, reading, “Should California leave the United States and become a free and independent country?”
Evans has until July 22 of this year to submit the appropriate number of signatures.
The Washington Examiner reached out to Evans for comment.
The movement for Californian independence received a major blow last year when the independence PAC YesCalifornia announced the group’s suspension.
“This decision follows years of reflection on a campaign that ultimately became more of a showcase for personal delusions and ambitions than a serious political effort. Among the leadership, some individuals, while grounded in reality, adopted a ‘fake it until you make it’ philosophy to sustain the illusion of momentum,” a statement from the PAC read, adding that some were “consumed by their own fantasies” that Californian independence was possible and imminent.
Its former leader, Louis Marinelli, was alleged to be tied to Russian intelligence.
Evans is now the de facto leader of the movement. Unlike Marinelli, who was right-wing, Ruiz Evans is a progressive liberal, identifying the leftist politics of the state as a key reason to secede. He also holds deep animus against President Donald Trump.
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“People think if you’re a secessionist, you’re crazy,” Ruiz Evans told the Independent. “I hate Donald Trump. I am full-blooded Mexican. The day he went on TV and said all Mexicans are rapists, I said, ‘He can go f*** himself.’”
“When I see Trump pick on women, on LGBTQ people … my family left Texas for California to escape that. And when I look at Trump, it reminds me of all the horror stories my mom and my grandma told me from [the time] before they left,” he added.