Texas does not have the statewide initiative. But it does have an obscure procedure in its election code for a group to petition for a statewide measure in a party primary. The procedure has existed since 1907, but apparently has never been used.
The Texas Nationalist Movement hopes to use the procedure, and to put a question on the March 2016 Texas Republican primary ballot asking if the party should endorse independence for Texas. See this story. The law requires a petition signed by 10% of the last primary turnout. The Texas Republican primary turnout was so low that only 66,894 signatures are needed, by December 2015. The group started circulating in August and hopes to succeed. The group’s web page is thetnm.org.
Party organizations can also put questions on a party primary ballot without the need for a petition, and Texas Republicans do that fairly often. The leadership of the Republican Party does not support the idea of secession for Texas and will probably try to prevent the question from appearing on the party’s primary ballot if it can. Thanks to Jim Goodluck for the link and to Jim Riley for explaining the Texas law, which is in sections 172.087 and 172.088.
How many seconds before the sections involved get repealed ???
Hmmm. Some secession effort in Texas in 1861 ???
How many Texans got killed / injured for life in 1861-1866 in Civil WAR I ???
[Civil WAR continued in Texas until some Union Army units had a last [losing] battle with the Confeds.]
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P.R. and nonpartisan App.V.
I don’t know that the initiative process has never been used. The original variant from 1903 provided for initiated referendum on the precinct level, which if approved in the primary would be considered as instructions to delegates elected to county and state conventions.
The concept was similar to the process for “electing” federal senators prior to the 17th Amendment. In Texas, the name of the senator candidate nominated in the primary within a legislative district would be forwarded to the party nominee for the district.
William Allen White described the Texas procedure in the February 1909 issuer of ‘The American’:
“Texas has an admirable plan which should be adopted all over the Union. It is an initiative and referendum proposition, which forbids the state convention to endorse any proposed legislation which has not been voted upon at the primary upon popular initiation, and propositions are put on the primary ticket by petition just as candidates are.”
The original version did require a 10% initiative petition. Somewhere before 1985 it had been reduced to the present 5%.
The Republicans usually did not have primaries until the 1960s. For parties that received less than 20% of the gubernatorial vote, the primary was optional. This was designed so that the GOP did not have to hold a primary, not so that the Libertarians might after a particularly good election.
Under the current 5%, it would only require about 28,000 signatures for a Democratic initiative.
Both the Republican and Democratic parties have referendum on the primary ballots. Going back to the 1990s it was somewhat sporadic, but has become ordinary to have several propositions in the more recent primaries.
I don’t care what the Supreme Court has “ruled,” states do have the right to secede because there is not (to my knowledge) any federal law which forbids a state from seceding. There certainly is nothing in the U.S. Constitution which specifically says a state may not secede.
I trust the Texas Nationalist Movement succeeds with their petition effort – even though they may have to get a Court to order the GOP to obey the state law regarding the allowing of such a proposition to be placed on the Primary Ballot. And if they do get the proposition on the ballot, it will be interesting to see how many voters will vote for this non-binding proposition.
I don’t care what the Supreme Court has “ruled,” states do have the right to secede because there is not (to my knowledge) any federal law which forbids a state from seceding. There certainly is nothing in the U.S. Constitution which specifically states a state may not secede.
I trust the Texas Nationalist Movement succeeds with their petition effort – even though they may have to get a Court to order the GOP to obey the state law regarding the allowing of such a proposition to be placed on the Primary Ballot. And if they do get the proposition on the ballot, it will be interesting to see how many voters will vote for this non-binding proposition.
If Texas secedes then the GOP is doomed.
The Texas Super-state Parliament will go on regardless of the initiative and the legitimacy of the state certainly depends on the proof in the votes.
Plurality voting is deemed not legit legitimate now with the Texas Super-state Parliament at the wheel. 🙂
http://www.usparliament.org/ss9.php
For any folks who were NOT paying ANY attention in USA history classes in publik skools —
After the secession Confeds [i.e. the SLAVERY oligarchs] attacked USA Fort Sumter in SC in Apr 1861, Prez. Lincoln declared that there was a REBELLION against the USA.
Result — the secession / rebellion was CRUSHED / SMASHED to bits by the Union Army/Navy — at the cost of about 750,000 DEAD men on both sides.
Among the last dead — the guy who ordered the first shot fired at such Fort Sumter (by suicide, wrapped in a Confed flag).
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P.R. and nonpartisan App.V.
Is there a website collecting donations for this cause?
I’m all in. And let’s talk to Arizona, too.
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