Petitions to White House call for states to secede from U.S.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (WECT) – The petition page for WhiteHouse.gov has seen a surge in secession supporters since the presidential election. North Carolina is one of more than 20 states represented with petitions calling for the Obama administration to allow for the peaceful withdraw from the union.

At the time of this report, more than 14,000 people signed the North Carolina petition. That's more than half of the required 25,000 signatures in 30 days that would prompt an official response from White House staff. One can be expected for the Texas petition that already shows more than 43,000 signatures.

The North Carolina petition contains a number of names claiming residence in Wilmington, but signers do not necessarily have to be from the state. The state constitution reads that North Carolina will remain a part of the union, and a Supreme Court case (Texas v White) from 1869 set the precedent of secession as unconstitutional.

Angela Douglas, of UNC-Wilmington's Public and Internal Affairs Department, said Monday that U.S. citizens have a reason to be frustrated with elected leaders who speak of jobs and the economy with little details as to how to make it happen. Still, she considers secession a radical option.

"This kind of reaction is easy to divide people," said Douglas.

She also mentioned that a lack of federal money for independent states would make secession an unlikely option.

"Some states, including ones in the south, have poor education systems, high unemployment and issues with an aging population," she said.

The 30-day window for signatures on the North Carolina petition closes on December 9, 2013.

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