Louisiana secession petition signatures reached the threshold for a response from the White House on Tuesday morning. The White House We The People programs offers all citizens the power to initiate a petition drive. Once a petition reaches more than 25,000 signatures in a 30-day period, the issue is routed to the appropriate office for review and a response issued.
As of Tuesday morning, Louisiana’s petition to secede had 27,028 signatures, according to the Atlanta Black Star . Louisiana celebrated its statehood bicentennial earlier this year. A man identified as “Michael E” of Slidell created the secession petition on November 7, according to The Advertiser .
University of Louisiana at Lafayette political science professor Ryan Teten had this to say about the We the People petition drive:
“It doesn’t represent the state and its population. It’s another form of protest. Given Louisiana’s position and its struggles with education, health care and the economy, cutting out the federal government would be a huge hit to the state. I don’t think succession of any state is a reality. You’re more likely to see people like Puerto Rico, which just voted to have their own statehood, want to join the US.”
Before a resident of any state can add their name to the request for peaceful secession, a user account on the White House website must be created. The process is free and fairly quick. As previously reported by The Inquisitr , American citizens must share their email address, name, and zip code in order to sign a petition for potential review by the Obama administration.
Texas was the first state to garner enough signatures in a secession petition to earn a review from the White House. States which currently have more than 15,000 signatures include Florida, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, and North Carolina.
