Supporters of the campaign for California to secede from the United States can now begin collecting the hundreds of thousands of signatures they need to get a proposed "Calexit" initiative on the ballot. California Secretary of State Alex Padilla cleared the proposed initiative to begin collecting signatures on Thursday. The measure would place another question on the ballot in 2019, asking whether California should become a separate country. A campaign committee, Yes California Independence Committee, has raised no funds so far, according to records from the secretary of state. UPDATE7:01 p.m.: This post has been updated to clarify that the proposed initiative would place a future vote on California's secession on the ballot in 2019.

Source: Los Angeles Times January 27, 2017 02:51 UTC