As is the case in so many other parts of America, thousands of California residents are protesting the 2016 election results. The difference? Their frustration has swelled into support for perhaps the ultimate solution to the Golden State's strong distaste for president-elect Donald Trump—secession.

The idea of a #Calexit blew up on Twitter right after Trump's win. It started as a series of jokes—Tweets about the state's best-known exports, of sorts (from Apple devices to weed), along with maps and memes showing what an independent California would look like.

Are you down with #Calexit like this supporter is? pic.twitter.com/3aOalrE7ZL — Yes California (@YesCalifornia) November 10, 2016

It wasn't long before a mere wave of social media output coalesced into something more. A group leading the movement toward state independence, Yes California, grew from some 1,500 members to around 12,000 after Trump's win, its president Louis Marinelli told Mashable.

It might sound like an extreme, reactive mode of thinking, but the reality is that every state has tried seceding at some point, mostly through petitions to the White House. But the probability of any kind of modern-day state secession actually happening is incredibly low. There's no set process for breaking away from the beloved union, as the part of the Constitution that explains how a state can join never explains how it can leave.

But: it's actually sort of, kind of possible.

California values and a Trump presidency

The Golden State's opposition to Trump has been made clear via the thousands who protested in the streets of San Francisco and Los Angeles. The morning after election night, even some of the state's top lawmakers said they felt like a Trump presidency just didn't mesh with California values.

"Today, we woke up feeling like strangers in a foreign land, because yesterday Americans expressed their views on a pluralistic and democratic society that are clearly inconsistent with the values of the people of California," California Senate President Kevin de Leon and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon said in a joint statement. "We have never been more proud to be Californians."

They added that the state would continue being a "refuge of justice and opportunity for people of all walks, talks, ages and aspirations – regardless of how you look, where you live, what language you speak, or who you love."

That's around the time some Silicon Valley elites joined in the California secession dreaming, such as Shervin Pishevar, angel investor and co-founder of Hyperloop One, and Marc Hemeon, CEO and founder of Design Inc.

@shervin I support you in this effort let me know what I can do to help — Marc Hemeon (@hemeon) November 9, 2016

Can #Calexit actually happen?

Since the end of the Civil War, no state has ever broken from the United States. But all of them have tried. After Obama' re-election in 2012, petitions were organized in all 50 states and at least six of them had over 25,000 signatures. But of all the states, Texas has probably tried the hardest to break away.

California wants to secede & so should Texas! Come on Texas we always threaten to secede, let's be a republic again! #Texit — Krystal Rios (@krystalrios) November 10, 2016

Texan calls for secessions go back to the 19th Century, and haven't stopped since. In 2012, one Texas petition had over 125,000 signatures, more than any other state. But the White House rejected its plea, referencing the 1869 Supreme Court case of Texas v. White—when the federal government shut down another one of the state's attempts to secede. That case described the U.S. as an "indestructible union."

In the White House's response to Texas, officials explained how the Founding Fathers never intended to allow secession. "They enshrined in that document the right to change our national government through the power of the ballot—a right that generations of Americans have fought to secure for all," Jon Carson, then director of the Office of Public Engagement, wrote. "But they did not provide a right to walk away from it."

Yet, there's a substantial difference between California and Texas where secession's concerned. In Texas, getting an independence referendum for people to vote on requires a legislator putting it on the ballot. But in California, citizens can bypass having to work through lawmakers, and propose a referendum directly.

"This has never happened before, and California is uniquely positioned to do this," Yes California's Marcinelli told Mashable. "[Texans] don't have the ability to propose this referendum."

Long may the Flag of Freedom fly over the land we love#CalExit pic.twitter.com/DZwW5KqWcj — #CalExit NaphiSoc (@NaphiSoc) November 15, 2016

Yes California is hoping to gain enough petition signatures—around 800,0000—to meet the legal threshold of 8 percent of the amount of people who last voted for state governor. The movement is seeking 1.5 million, just to be safe.

The petition would place a referendum on the 2018 ballot that'd change the state's constitution and elections code to allow for California's independence, and call for a special election to decide if the state really wants to secede.

If that's passed, California residents could actually be voting on their state's independence in 2019.

I meeeean, we got Apple and Twitter and Hollywood and avocado farms and hella weed so like I'm good lol 👋🏻👋🏻👋🏻 https://t.co/cCIjcMkP73 — Chris P. (@chiefsmiles) November 10, 2016

The CA economy is bigger than France's. We feed America & the world. We are the only state that could go its own way.



Think about #CalExit — Elliott Lusztig (@ezlusztig) November 11, 2016

But would people actually go for it? Some Californians are dissatisfied enough with Trump's presidency to do just that.

Where do I sign up to get an emergency vote on #Calexit — Brooke Cullison (@BrookeCullison) November 9, 2016

So when and how do I cast my vote for #Calexit ? — Ann Marie (@AnnSpaceMarie) November 9, 2016

California does have the largest single-state economy in America—it's also the sixth largest in the world from a single municipality, and larger than the entirety of France's economy. But the actual road to secession wouldn't be easy, from all the assets and land owned by the federal government in the states to developing new institutions (like, say, its own military). And the state's drought struggles likely won't be made easier by having to fend for itself.

It all just seems like crazy California dreaming, but the possibility's there. It's just a very small one.

"There's no precedent at all for it," Joel Aberbach, a UCLA political science professor, told Mashable. "The people who are talking about that for the moment are mostly just venting."

Aberbach cited obstacles dealing with the transition to independence, from the deep integration of California's economy with the rest of the country's to the challenges that would arise for international goods being shipped and traded through the California border.

Still, some are holding on to hope and Marcinelli isn't fazed by the doubters who say secession just couldn't happen.

"They said the same thing about the Brexit vote and they said the same thing about Trump getting elected," he said. "A lot of the things people don't expect are happening ... People are sick and tired of the status quo. They want to see some change."