California voters will vote this November to keep their state whole or divide it up into three separate states.
Tim Draper, a billionaire venture capitalist, was able to get the proposal on the ballot following in a years-long quest to get the hundreds of thousands of signatures required.
“If some people feel that their government isn’t working for them – and I know a lot of people in very poor regions feel that the status quo is not working for them – this would be an opportunity for them to easily move to another state without leaving the beautiful weather we get here,” said Draper.
If it’s approved by voters, the proposal would still require a congressional OK — and would very likely face legal challenges on both the state and federal levels, according to experts.
It would be the first division of an existing U.S. state since the creation of West Virginia in 1863.