Secession Measure In Far Northern California Met With Limited Interest By Voters
RED BLUFF, Calif. (AP) -- Voters in two far Northern California counties are showing only tepid interest in advisory measures that call for creating a 51st state named Jefferson.
Del Norte County voters were rejecting the secessionist measure by 59 percent in early returns Tuesday. Tehama County voters were backing the proposal, but only by 51 percent, an advantage of just 124 votes.
A similar but unrelated question on Tuesday's ballot in Siskiyou County, to rename it the Republic of Jefferson, was also trailing. Early returns showed only 44 percent of voters in favor.
Residents of the state's rural, conservative northern regions often say they feel ignored by California's leaders. They have discussed secession for more than a century.
Tuesday's secession measures ask the counties' elected boards of supervisors to join a movement to create a new state.