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California Independence Plebiscite Initiative (2022)
| California Independence Plebiscite Initiative | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 8, 2022 | |
| Topic Federal constitutional issues | |
| Status Not on the ballot | |
| Type State statute | Origin Citizens |
The California Independence Plebiscite Initiative (#20-0001) was not on the ballot in California as an initiated state statute on November 8, 2022.
The ballot initiative would have required an independence plebiscite on November 5, 2024, which would have asked voters, "Should California leave the United States and become a free and independent country?" To be considered "a vote of no confidence in the United States of America and an expression of the will of the people of California to become a free and independent country," turnout would have needed to be at least 50 percent and at least 55 percent of those who turn out would have needed to vote "Yes."[1]
The ballot initiative would have also established a Commission on National Sovereignty and Independence from the United States.[1]
Text of measure
Ballot title
The official ballot title was as follows:[2]
| “ |
Requires Vote on Whether California Should Become a Separate Country. Initiative Statute.[3] |
” |
Petition summary
The summary provided for inclusion on signature petition sheets was as follows:[2]
| “ |
Places question of whether California should leave the United States on a future ballot. Treats result of such future vote as a vote of no confidence in the United States and an expression of the electorate’s desire for California to be an independent country if: (1) 50 percent of registered voters participate in election; and (2) 55 percent of those voting approve. Creates commission to evaluate and report on California’s current ability to govern itself independently, and California’s future economic and political viability as an independent country.[3] |
” |
Fiscal impact
The fiscal impact statement was as follows:[2]
| “ |
Around $1 million in added state costs for a new state commission on national sovereignty and independence. Potential state and local election administration costs in the tens of millions of dollars to ask voters to respond to a question on independence. Unknown, potentially major, fiscal effects if California voters approved changes to the state’s relationship with the United States at a future election after the approval of this measure.[3] |
” |
Full text
The full text of the ballot measure is available here.
Path to the ballot
Process in California
In California, the number of signatures required for an initiated state statute is equal to 5 percent of the votes cast in the preceding gubernatorial election. Petitions are allowed to circulate for 180 days from the date the attorney general prepares the petition language. Signatures need to be certified at least 131 days before the general election. As the verification process can take multiple months, the secretary of state provides suggested deadlines for ballot initiatives.
The requirements to get initiated state statutes certified for the 2022 ballot:
- Signatures: 623,212 valid signatures were required.
- Deadline: The deadline for signature verification was 131 days before the general election, which was around June 30, 2022. However, the process of verifying signatures can take multiple months and proponents are recommended to file signatures at least two months before the verification deadline.
Signatures are first filed with local election officials, who determine the total number of signatures submitted. If the total number is equal to at least 100 percent of the required signatures, then local election officials perform a random check of signatures submitted in their counties. If the random sample estimates that more than 110 percent of the required number of signatures are valid, the initiative is eligible for the ballot. If the random sample estimates that between 95 and 110 percent of the required number of signatures are valid, a full check of signatures is done to determine the total number of valid signatures. If less than 95 percent are estimated to be valid, the initiative does not make the ballot.
Stages of this initiative
On July 3, 2020, Marcus Ruiz Evans filed the ballot initiative.[4] Attorney General Xavier Becerra (D) released ballot language for the initiative on September 8, 2020, allowing proponents to begin collecting signatures.[5] Signatures were not filed by the deadline on March 8, 2021.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 California Attorney General, "Initiative #20-0001," July 3, 2020
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 California Secretary of State, "Initiatives and Referenda Cleared for Circulation," accessed September 11, 2020
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedtext - ↑ California Attorney General, "Initiative and Referendum Qualification Status," accessed July 7, 2020
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State of California Sacramento (capital) |
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