For the first time since before the Civil War, voters across California will decide in November on a proposal to split up the Golden State — potentially remaking it into three new states.

An initiative dividing California, pushed by Silicon Valley venture capital investor Tim Draper, received enough signatures to qualify it for the November ballot, the Secretary of State’s office confirmed Tuesday afternoon. Related Articles Why does this investor think three Californias are better than one?

A look at some of the states that, like California today, tried to break into pieces

Who gets Yosemite? Where landmarks would fall in 3 Californias plan

Supporters of the radical plan submitted more than 600,000 signatures, and a random sample projected that enough are valid that the measure can go before voters, setting up a campaign that is sure to attract a carnivalesque atmosphere and only-in-California chuckles from across the country.

While the effort has cleared a major hurdle by getting on the ballot, it will be a tough sell to voters and would require Congressional approval.

“This isn’t as easy or straightforward as its supporters want to make out,” said Shaun Bowler, a political science professor at UC Riverside who’s studied California’s initiative process.

The proposal would split America’s most populous state into three: California would be reduced to a coastal strip running south from Monterey to just past Los Angeles.

Start your day with the news you need from the Bay Area, California and beyond.

Sign up for our new Morning Report weekday newsletter.

The Bay Area would be part of a new Northern California state with a border that starts north of Monterey, runs east and north to the Nevada state line, and includes everything north to the Oregon border.

A new Southern California state would run south from the Northern California border, skirt around the coast from Monterey past Los Angeles, and include San Diego, Death Valley and the rest of the state east to Nevada and Arizona.

The effort faces strong headwinds. A poll conducted in April found that only 17 percent of registered California voters favored the proposal, while 72 percent opposed it.

Even if approved by state voters, splitting up the state still would require approval from Congress — no easy thing in a sharply divided country. Voters approved breaking California into two states in 1859, but Congress never acted on that request.

Gallery: Who gets Yosemite? Where top landmarks would fall in Three Californias plan.

Northern California: A cyclist atop the Marin headlands takes in the view as the north tower of the Golden Gate Bridge peaks through the morning fog Friday, Jan. 13, 2018. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)

Sound The gallery will resume in seconds

Northern California: Whether you're exploring Napa's vineyards or its buzzy downtown, wine country offers enough enticements to fill any weekend. (Visit Napa Valley)



Northern California: Mt. Shasta, reaching 14,162 feet, can be seen for miles and is the focal point for the small towns and hiking trails that surround it. Stewart Mineral Springs: : The 14,162-foot Mt. Shasta towers above the small town of Weed, where Stewert Mineral Springs is located. Stewart Mineral Springs: : The 14,162-foot Mt. Shasta towers above the small town of Weed, where Stewert Mineral Springs is located.

Sean Gallup/Getty Images Archives Northern California: Emerald Bay lies under blue skies at Lake Tahoe on July 23, 2014 near South Lake Tahoe, California. Lake Tahoe is among Califonria's major tourist attractions. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

Northern California: Zephyr Cove, near Nevada Beach, offers stunning views of Mt. Tallac, which is visible from Highway 50 in South Lake Tahoe. (Photo: Rachid Dahnoun/Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority)



Northern California: The mountaintop adventures of Heavenly's Epic Discovery are reached via gondola, a jaw-dropping ride in itself. (Heavenly Ski Resort)

Northern California: Rides at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk in Santa Cruz, California. (Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk)

Northern California: The Giant Dipper at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk in Santa Cruz, California. (Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk)



Northern California: Amateur astronomers with the Peninsula Astronomical Society set up telescopes at Yosemite National Park's Glacier Point "Star Party" in August 2015. On summer weekends, park rangers invite California astronomy clubs to share their telescopes with visitors. (Photo: Lisa M. Krieger)

Northern California: The classic Tunnel View scene, with El Capitan, Half Dome, Cathedral Rocks and Bridalveil Fall visible, to the right. In many places, the divide would get tricky. For example, Yosemite National Park would suddenly straddle two of the new states since part of it is in Madera (Southern California) while other parts are in Tuolumne and Mariposa (Northern California) counties. And don't even get us started with probable battles over how the state's precious water reserves would be distributed since California is currently criss-crossed with an insanely complex grid of aqueducts, dams, levees and channels.

Northern California: A rainbow brightens the base of Bridalveil Fall, photographed in April 2016. Yosemite officials are putting the final touches on a $13 million restoration of the area, with half the funding coming from a Bay Area non-profit group, the Yosemite Conservancy. The new plan will feature a larger parking lot, modern flush toilets, interpretive signs and wider hiking trails with wooden boardwalks and more accessible features designed in the classic granite and pine national park style. (Courtesy Gretchen Roecker/Yosemite Conservancy)



Pfeiffer Beach in Big Sur on Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2017. (Vern Fisher - Monterey Herald)

California: The view from Garrapata State Beach in Big Sur. (Karen D'Souza)

California: Pfeiffer Beach in Big Sur on Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2017. (Vern Fisher - Monterey Herald)



California: Tourists take in the view at the Lone Cypress Tree on 17-Mile Drive in Pebble Beach on Wednesday, June 28, 2017. (Vern Fisher - Monterey Herald)

California: Tourists take in the view at the Lone Cypress Tree on 17-Mile Drive in Pebble Beach on Wednesday, June 28, 2017. (Vern Fisher - Monterey Herald)

California: Alexandre Ribero of Brazil carries his son Alex ,7, on the Balconies Cave Trail at Pinnacles National Park in Soledad on Saturday August 27, 2016. (David Royal - Monterey Herald)



California: The Madonna Inn sign by the 101 freeway in San Luis Obispo. Photo by: Anne Cusack/LA Times

California: Tourists take in the main dining room at the Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo. The room features a fake tree and pink booths.

(Paul Hiffmeyer/Disneyland) Southern California: Standing in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland, where magical storybooks come alive, Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse welcome visitors from all over the world. Combining classic favorites and exciting additions, Disneyland park is an essential part of a Southern California vacation. (Paul Hiffmeyer/Disneyland)



Southern California: Inspired by the classic Disney animated movie, "Alice in Wonderland," the Mad Tea Party attraction at Disneyland Park re-creates the film's madcap "unbirthday" sequence featuring the Mad Hatter and March Hare's chaotic tea party. (Paul Hiffmeyer/Disneyland)

Southern California: Palm Springs' Uptown Design District caters to fans of midcentury modern design with boutiques such as Just Modern, which carries everything from retro swizzle sticks and coffee mugs to new wave takes on classic '50s furniture. (Jackie Burrell/Bay Area News Group)

Southern California: Palm Springs' Updown Design District mixes design shops, specializing in midcentury modern elements, with restaurants and bars. (VisitPalmSprings.com)



Southern California: FILE - This Nov. 15, 2004 file photo, shows Tufa Towers in Mono Lake near Lee Vining, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot, File)

Southern California: Mono Lake tufa towers are seen Monday, Nov. 15, 2004, near Lee Vining, Calif. The ancient towers, composed of calcium carbonate, were formed underwater when fresh water springs mixed with minerals in the lakewater, and became visible when lake water receded over the past 60 years due to water diversion to Los Angeles. Now, residents and the U.S. Forest Service say the Mono Lake protections are imperiled by a plan to subdivide 120 acres for luxury homes on the lake's western shore. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

Southern California: The hills surrounding the Hollywood sign in Hollywood, Calif. are drier than normal on April 30, 2007. (Gary Reyes/ Bay Area News Group Archives)



Creating two new states would add four new U.S. Senators, two for each of the additional Californias, while reshuffling electoral college math in presidential elections. Initial analyses suggest that Northern California and California would remain reliably Democratic, while Southern California would be a swing state.

Draper, who did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday, previously pushed an effort to break California into six states, but didn’t receive enough signatures to put that plan onto the 2016 ballot. He and other supporters argue that the Golden State has become ungovernable and smaller states would be more efficient.

“California government has rotted,” Draper said in an interview last month. “We need to empower our population to improve their government.”

Get breaking news with our free mobile app. Get it from the Apple app store or the Google Play store.

Dozens of other efforts to remake California have failed over the years, including a campaign to split off conservative northern counties into a new state of “Jefferson” and a bid for California to secede from the U.S. completely.

Related Articles Why does this investor think three Californias are better than one?

A look at some of the states that, like California today, tried to break into pieces Steven Maviglio, a Democratic political consultant who worked on a past campaign opposing the state’s breakup, said Draper’s initiative was taking the wrong track.

“Splitting California into three new states will triple the amount of special interests, lobbyists, politicians and bureaucracy,” Maviglio said in an email. “California government can do a better job addressing the real issues facing the state, but this measure is a massive distraction that will cause political chaos and greater inequality.”

Staff Writer John Woolfolk contributed reporting.