Thanks to the efforts of the Texas Nationalist Movement (TNM), Republican voters could vote for Texas independence on their primary ballots in March 2024.
TNM announced that it had gathered north of 102,000 signatures, which is more than the 97,709 signatures required by code to obtain the ballot spot via the signature petition process.
The petition will subsequently be reviewed by the Texas Republican Party’s State Republican Executive Committee (SREC) during the first weekend of December,. To move forward, the signatures must be verified. Brad Johnson of The Texan noted that the language of the petition being circulated read as follows, “Should the State of Texas reassert its status as an independent nation?”
This petition would only appear on the Republican ballot and is non-binding in nature. It basically gauges voter sentiment on the matter.
There has been growing pro-secession sentiment among Republican voters in Texas. Per a 2020 poll, over half of Texas Republican voters are in favor of seceding from the US during a “Biden-Harris presidency.” According to a poll published by Defend Texas Liberty, 59% of Republican voters are in favor of seceding.
“Placing the question on the ballot brings clarity,” declared TNM President Daniel Miller in a letter to the SREC. He stressed that “If, as our detractors say, this is a fringe issue that no one supports, then they should have no resistance to this question being asked of Republican voters.”
“In fact, they should be some of its strongest supporters. If what they say is true, then the results will show that fact, and TEXIT will be a dead issue in the party for a generation,” Miller added.
It remains to be seen if the Texas GOP will end up watering down the language of this petition.
Nevertheless, the fact that such a petition could potentially be voted on by Republicans in the Lone Star States demonstrates a large degree of discontent among Texas voters. They’re tired of both the Republican Party establishment in the state and DC. Moreover, these disaffected Republicans are beginning to realize that conventional political options are largely futile at this juncture. As a result, they will resort to unconventional means such as a secession to have their voices heard.
While the prospects of secession might seem outlandish, it could become a reality if the political situation in the US continues deteriorating in socio-economic terms. At some point, the US could likely face an institutional breakdown that makes secession a feasible prospect.