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By US Census, Ruhrfisch, Spesh531 (File:California Locator Map.PNG) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons[/caption]

There was an effort to divide California into six individual states.

It failed to garner enough valid signatures to add it to the 2016 ballot so California will remain our third largest state after Alaska and Texas.

Montana is the fourth largest state.

What If…?

What if that measure had made it to the ballot and been approved by voters? That might really shake up both the House of Representatives and Senate on the federal side of national politics.

You’d have twelve more senators that would be a mix of both Democrats and Republicans. California is mostly red while all the urban high population areas are mostly blue. The reason California is usually considered a Democrat state.

It would also add six governors to the roles and more representatives based on population of the new states. Most of the six would only have one representative but the state including Los Angeles and San Diego respectively could have more.

Current representatives could just stay in the current districts they are in until the new population figures are sorted out and elections scheduled.

Would Other States Follow?

A case could certainly be made to divide Texas, Alaska and Montana into more states.

Would dividing Montana put a greater burden on eastern Montana than it already has? Probably yes.

The same could be said for Alaska and Texas where most of the population is on one side of the state or the other.

But would more representation in congress result in more political money and favors flowing into those new states?

They would need help to get their new state governments organized, build state houses, elections for all state offices, political appointees, license plates for cars, ID cards and driver’s licenses, state signs, laws to keep, laws to sunset, etc.

Job creation could be off the charts even thought no real increase in tax dollars would come in to the federal level it would just be redirected to new venues.

New states could change sales taxes, income taxes, property taxes, etc.

Responsibility for care and maintenance of state roads and highways would change.

State supreme courts would need to be set up. Medicaid and healthcare exchanges could place enormous financial burdens on some of the new states.

State constitutions?

Some Final Thoughts

As a former resident of California I would love to see it divided up into six states. I think it’s a great idea but the residents would probably be looking at about 20 years of growing pains.

Most all of these states would be “nanny states” in the beginning. The new states would be very dependent on federal money to keep them solvent until revenue streams could be put into law.

But when the dust clears it would really be interesting to see what the new California would be like and how it would affect the rest of America.

I guess we’ll have to wait for the 2018 election for enough signatures to be collected and see if the voters are up to the challenge.

What do you think? Comments below.

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