Texas Nationalist Movement Calls on the State GOP to Put Texas Independence on the 2022 Primary Ballot

The Texas Nationalist Movement has formally sent a letter to the Republican Party of Texas ahead of the petition the movement is circulating under Section 172.088 of the Texas Election Code. Under state law, that petition would require the party to place a referendum on its 2022 primary ballot reading: “The State of Texas shall reassert its status as an independent nation. For or Against.”

The letter, addressed to Chairman Matt Rinaldi and the members of the State Republican Executive Committee, asks the committee to honor the wishes of Republican primary voters by passing a resolution to place the question on the ballot at its final quarterly meeting before the primary, rather than leaving it to the petition deadline.

“We are calling on you to do what our elected officials often lack the courage to do, which is to respect the wishes of Texas voters,” the letter reads. “You have the power to honor this request by simply placing this question on the ballot.”

The movement noted that the proposition would carry no binding legal effect, but would honor Article 1, Section 2 of the Texas Constitution, which holds that all political power is inherent in the people and that they retain at all times the inalienable right to alter or reform their government. More than 700 trained volunteers had collected signatures in over 100 Texas cities under the demanding standard set by the Election Code, which requires nearly 80,000 valid signatures, roughly sixteen times the 5,000 a candidate needs to appear on a primary ballot.