Oregonians submit ballot proposal to secede from U.S.

PORTLAND, Ore. — Two Portland residents have submitted a petition for a 2018 ballot initiative to have Oregon secede from the union and form its own country with any other states that want to join.

The Oregonian reported that lawyer Jennifer Rollins and writer Christian Trejbal filed the Oregon Secession Act on Thursday morning.

"Oregonian values are no longer the values held by the rest of the United States," Trejbal told the newspaper.

Those values? "Life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness," Trejbal said, "plus equality."

Trejbal said the idea had been developing over time but was obviously spurred by the election Tuesday of Donald Trump.

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They said they chose 2018 to give Oregonians some time to think about the decision, but they planned to collect signatures Thursday night at Pioneer Square, where an anti-Trump protest is scheduled.

To start the ballot title drafting process, the Oregon Secession Act must receive 1,000 signatures.

The Oregon Secession Act says lawmakers "shall seek secession alone or in conjunction with other states and Canadian provinces that seek to form a new nation, including but not limited to California, Washington, Hawaii, Nevada, Alaska and British Columbia."

Meanwhile, a group called Yes Cascadia is working to "grow Cascadian autonomy and interdependence."

Many Californians have called for their state to secede.