Make California an independent country? Fresno man’s ballot initiative moves forward

FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – A Fresno man’s push to make California an independent country has moved another step closer to appearing on the ballot.

The California Secretary of State’s Office announced Wednesday that the initiative can now start collecting petition signatures.

The drive to make California an independent country was spearheaded by Fresno man Marcus Evans,

who says he has been trying to get California to secede since 2012. In an interview with YourCentralValley.com earlier this year, Evans said he wants independence for California so that it could “actually be able to fix our issues.”

“We would be more safe. We would have less people die – less people die in wars, less people threatening us,” said Evans in January.

The ballot initiative needs 546,651 registered voters (which represents 5% of the total votes cast for governor in the November 2022 general election) to become eligible to appear on the ballot.

Those supporting the ballot have approximately six months (180 days) to collect the necessary signatures. The deadline for signatures to be submitted to county elections officials is April 13, 2026.