Your feedback ensures we stay focused on the facts that matter to you most—take our survey.
California Independence Plebiscite Initiative (2026)
| California Independence Plebiscite Initiative | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 3, 2026 | |
| Topic Federal constitutional issues | |
| Status Pending official review | |
| Type State statute | Origin Citizens |
The California Independence Plebiscite Initiative (#25-0010) may appear on the ballot in California as an initiated state statute on November 3, 2026.
The initiative would require an independence plebiscite on November 3, 2026, which would ask 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 need to be at least 50% and at least 55% of those who turned out would need to vote "Yes."[1]
Text of measure
Full text
The full text of the ballot measure can be read here.
Path to the ballot
An initiated state statute is a citizen-initiated ballot measure that amends state statute. There are 21 states that allow citizens to initiate state statutes, including 14 that provide for direct initiatives and nine (9) that provide for indirect initiatives (two provide for both). An indirect initiated state statute goes to the legislature after a successful signature drive. The legislatures in these states have the option of approving the initiative itself, rather than the initiative appearing on the ballot.
In California, the number of signatures required for an initiated state statute is equal to 5% of the votes cast in the last gubernatorial election. A simple majority vote is required for voter approval. The requirements to get initiated state statutes certified for the 2026 ballot:
- Signatures: 546,651 valid signatures are required.
- Deadline: The deadline for signature verification is June 25, 2026. However, the secretary of state suggested deadlines for turning in signatures of January 12, 2026, for initiatives needing a full check of signatures and April 17, 2026, for initiatives needing a random sample of signatures verified.
Initiative #24-0001
- Marcus Evans filed the initiative on November 19, 2024.[2]
- On January 23, the secretary of state cleared the initiative for signature gathering.[2]
- On July 22, 2025, the initiative's circulation deadline, the campaign behind the initiative submitted an insufficient number of signatures.[3]
Initiative #25-0010
- August 11, 2025: Marcus Evans filed a second version of the initiative.
See also
|
External links
Footnotes
