The process to have California secede from the United States of America is officially underway.

The Attorney General of California approved the petition on Friday and it will now have 180 days to collect the signatures it needs to proceed.

California AG has approved signature gathering to qualify #Calexit for 2018 and we shall begin tomorrow. Sign up: https://t.co/qRVfC2TG21 pic.twitter.com/cKwNyUOQd5 — Yes California (@YesCalifornia) January 27, 2017



The movement needs those 600,000 signatures to qualify for the 2018 ballot and if that initiative passes, it would force a special statewide election in 2019.

Getting on the ballot and passing would repeal clauses in the California Consitution, which state that the state is an “inseparable part of the United States.”

If the ballot and election stages are successful, U.S. congress will need to pass a constitutional amendment and then two-thirds of the nation’s State Governors will need to ratify the amendment.

The Yes California Independance Campaign has been around for a couple of years, but has gained serious momentum since Donald Trump was elected in November.

CALIFORNIA: Are you ready to secede from the United States? #Calexit — Yes California (@YesCalifornia) November 9, 2016



“In our view, the United States of America represents so many things that conflict with Californian values,” it says on the www.yescalifornia.org website. “Our continued statehood means California will continue subsidizing the other states to our own detriment, and to the detriment of our children.”

The “Calexit” movement, of course, follows the footsteps of “Brexit”, which saw Britain leave the European Union in 2016.