Along with the growing Anti-Trump movements, protests and rallies, west coast states in the US have initiated strategic planning and meetings regarding their possible separation from the country. The movement, popularly known as #Calexit seeks to name California as its own sovereign nation.
After the election of Donald Trump as the next US president, natives of the Clinton-supporting state of California flocked to social media platforms to show support for the Yes California Independence Campaign by using the hashtag #Calexit. The campaign is geared towards the gathering of citizen support for the passing of a referendum in 2018.
Following a similar demonstration known as "Brexit", wherein the United Kingdom sought independence from the European Union, the California-based movement gears towards the state's disassociation from the country. The #Calexit referendum hopes to have California join the international community.
According to the Yes California official website, the proposed referendum will qualify a citizen's initiative that would, if passed, allow Californians to vote to either support or reject the independence of the state from the country. The independence referendum is built on the belief that the state is more than capable of becoming a self-sufficient country.
The movement backs up its plausibility by noting that the state itself stands to be the sixth largest economy in the world. The website has moved to note that California has more economic power than the country of France and a population that secedes that of Poland.
More recently, California's neighboring states of Oregon and Washington, as well as the Canadian province of British Columbia have begun showing support for the independence movement. An extension of the Calexit movement known as "Calicadia" has begun gaining citizen support.
According to a report by The Seattle Times, The three Anti-Trump states have been known to work with British Columbia in regards to climate change. It is also worth noting that these states have found much similarity with its neighboring country of Canada in terms of cannabis legalization, health care, and human rights.
Though the movements have been gaining overwhelming support, the idea remains to be an unrealistic goal. As stated by the LA Times, an amendment of the US Constitution would require a two-thirds vote in both the House of Congress and the Senate. With California and its allied states only making up a bare minimum percentage of government powers, the movement remains to be an unrealistic ideal.
