Fact-check: Can Texas secede from the union?

Our weekly check-in with the Texas Truth-O-Meter.

By Nusaiba Mizan, PolitiFact Texas/Austin American-StatesmanJune 29, 2022 11:12 am, , ,

From PolitiFact Texas/Austin American-Statesman:

The Texas Republican Convention on June 18 called for the state Legislature to approve a measure asking voters whether they favor “Texas Independence.”

That is, a referendum on secession. The GOP platform committee wrote, “We urge the Texas Legislature to pass bill [sic] in its next session requiring a referendum in the 2023 general election for the people of Texas to determine whether or not the State of Texas should reassert its status as an independent nation.”

The party also adopted a resolution questioning the 2020 presidential election. In a press release, Republican Party of Texas Chairman Matt Rinaldi said, “Texas Republicans rightly have no faith in the 2020 election results and we don’t care how many times the elites tell us we have to.” PolitiFact has found claims that the election was “stolen” or “rigged” to be False.

The secession talk also comes as Texas Republicans have been increasingly critical of the Biden administration’s immigration policies, among other things.

A referendum on secession could be a litmus test as to whether the idea is a popular one. What lawmakers do next is another question.

Of course, this is not the first time the idea of Texas secession has come up. Could Texas really secede from the union? Let’s explore:

Read the full story at PolitiFact, and listen to an interview with PolitiFact’s Nusaiba Mizan in the audio player above.

Radio interview produced by Alexandra Hart.

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