Texans May Have Secession Question on Republican Primary Ballot

Aside from voting for whatever politician happens to be the flavor of the month, the Republican voters of Texas may have an additional question to answer for when Super Tuesday arrives next year. If the Texas Nationalist Movement has its way, then the Republican primary ballot may have to ask voters to decide whether or not they think “the state of Texas should reassert its status as an independent nation” and secede from the United States

Much to the chagrin of the Republican party, the Texas independence group is currently gathering signatures for a petition that would place their non-binding question on the ballot. According to the Texas Secretary of State, they will need at least 66,894 signatures, though the organization is shooting for 75,000.

Historically, the Republican Party would have the final say on what goes on their ballot, and they’ve tried to distance themselves from the Texas Nationalist Movement in the past. If the petition succeeds, it would be the first time that an outside group has their referendum placed on the Republican ballot. The group’s president hopes that the vote will get state legislators to take the issue seriously. “Texas and Washington, D.C. are on very different paths, and the people of Texas obviously recognize that…The Texas Nationalist Movement message has been one not of reaction to grievance but one of a future we can build as an independent nation.”