A state GOP committee approved a resolution on Texas secession to go before a full party vote on Saturday. Officials will then decide whether to put the non-binding resolution on the March 1 primary ballot. It would serve only as an opinion survey and would not compel the state to secede.
So how would Texas look as an independent nation? Click through our slideshow to find out...
A state GOP committee approved a resolution on Texas secession to go before a full party vote on Saturday. Officials will then decide whether to put the non-binding resolution on the March 1 primary ballot. It
... more
If Texas ever regained its independence, see what it would look like.
If Texas ever regained its independence, see what it would look like.
Photo: Nathan Hunsinger, Associated Press
Texas billionaires: 51
After secession, Texas would have ... the 8th most billionaires in the world.
More billionaires than: France, Italy, Canada, Japan and Switzerland.
Texas billionaires: 51
After secession, Texas would have ... the 8th most billionaires in the world.
More billionaires than: France, Italy, Canada, Japan and Switzerland.
Photo: Richard Lipski, FRE
Texas area: 268,820 sq. miles
After secession, Texas would be ... the 40th biggest country in the world
Bigger than: France, Ukraine, Spain, Iran and Afghanistan
Texas area: 268,820 sq. miles
After secession, Texas would be ... the 40th biggest country in the world
Bigger than: France, Ukraine, Spain, Iran and Afghanistan
Photo: Nick De La Torre, CHRONICLE
Texas population: 26.45 million
After secession, Texas would be ... the 48th most populated country in the world.
More populated than: North Korea, Australia, Syria, Cuba, Netherlands.
Texas population: 26.45 million
After secession, Texas would be ... the 48th most populated country in the world.
More populated than: North Korea, Australia, Syria, Cuba, Netherlands.
Photo: Jay Janner, Associated Press
Texas GDP: $1.414 trillion
After secession, Texas would have ... the 14th largest GDP in the world.
Bigger than: Mexico, South Korea, Turkey, the Netherlands and Saudi Arabia
Texas GDP: $1.414 trillion
After secession, Texas would have ... the 14th largest GDP in the world.
Bigger than: Mexico, South Korea, Turkey, the Netherlands and Saudi Arabia
Photo: Pat Sullivan, STF
Texas homicide rate: 4.3 murders out of 100,000 (U.S. average: 4.7)
After secession, Texas would have ... the 114th highest homicide rate in the world.
Comparable to: Ukraine, Cuba and Georgia (the country).
Texas homicide rate: 4.3 murders out of 100,000 (U.S. average: 4.7)
After secession, Texas would have ... the 114th highest homicide rate in the world.
Comparable to: Ukraine, Cuba and Georgia (the country).
Texas McDonald's: 1,225 locations
After secession, Texas would have ... the 8th most McDonald's in the world.
Comparable with: United Kingdom, France, Germany and Canada.
Texas McDonald's: 1,225 locations
After secession, Texas would have ... the 8th most McDonald's in the world.
Comparable with: United Kingdom, France, Germany and Canada.
Texas executions: 16 in 2013
After secession, Texas would have ... the 8th most executions in the world.
Comparable to: Yemen, Japan, Sudan and Somalia.
Texas executions: 16 in 2013
After secession, Texas would have ... the 8th most executions in the world.
Comparable to: Yemen, Japan, Sudan and Somalia.
Texas cotton production: 6,013 (1000 480 lb. bales)
After secession, Texas would have... the 6th highest cotton production in the world.
The only five countries with greater cotton production: India, China, the United States, Pakistan and Brazil.
Texas cotton production: 6,013 (1000 480 lb. bales)
After secession, Texas would have... the 6th highest cotton production in the world.
The only five countries with greater cotton production: India, China, the
... more
Texas oil production: 2 million barrels per day in 2012
After secession, Texas would have ... the 14th most barrels per day of crude oil production in the world.
More oil production than: Norway, Qatar, the European Union and Libya.
Texas oil production: 2 million barrels per day in 2012
After secession, Texas would have ... the 14th most barrels per day of crude oil production in the world.
More oil production than: Norway, Qatar, the
... more
Photo: Jim Gehrz, McClatchy-Tribune News Service
Texas life expectancy: 78.5 (U.S. average: 79.8)
After secession, Texas would have ... the 41st highest life expectancy in the world.
Comparable to: Barbados, Cuba, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.
Texas life expectancy: 78.5 (U.S. average: 79.8)
After secession, Texas would have ... the 41st highest life expectancy in the world.
Comparable to: Barbados, Cuba, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.
Photo: Gary Fountain, For The Chronicle
Texas secession resolution passes GOP committee, headed for Party vote Saturday
A proposal to put Texas secession to a non-binding vote in March passed a state GOP committee vote in Austin on Friday afternoon, clearing the way for a vote Saturday by the Party's full executive assembly, party officials reported.
Party leadership has said the independence item won't likely be approved in a full-body vote. An informal poll of executive committee members conducted by the Chronicle showed the assembly was split on the issue.
The resolution would put a breakup with Uncle Sam to a non-binding vote, which would essentially serve as an opinion poll and wouldn't legally compel Texas to secede.
RELATED: Texas GOP official wants secession on the primary ballot
It was introduced by State Republican Executive Committee member Tanya Robertson, who represents parts of Harris, Galveston and Brazoria counties. In November, she told the Chronicle that many of her constituents had voiced support for a reborn Republic of Texas, the short-lived nation of the mid-1800s.
The resolution reads, "If the federal government continues to disregard the constitution and the sovereignty of the State of Texas, the State of Texas should reassert its status as an independent nation."
The SREC is the governing body of the Republican Party of Texas, and it decides what will appear on the March 1 Republican primary ballot. The Party is currently assembled in Austin to author the ballot. On Friday, the independence resolution passed the Resolutions Committee, which selects items to go before the full 40-member assembly on Saturday. Of 12 resolutions presented at the committee Friday, five were approved, including independence, members said.
Of the 40 SREC members polled by the Chronicle this week, 13 responded. Six said they would support a vote on independence, six said they would not and one declined to comment.
RELATED: Ever hopeful and determined, Texas secessionists face long, long odds
Supporters of the resolution argued that the Party should not prohibit the citizens from voicing their opinion, while opponents argued that secession was unpatriotic and unconstitutional.
Several polls have explored secession before. A 2009 Rasmussen survey found 18 percent of Texas would opt to secede, while seven percent were undecided.
In September 2014, Reuters reported "1 in 4 Americans are open to secession," with the highest support for secession—34 percent--in the three-state Southwest region that includes Texas.
RELATED: Feds raid Texas secessionist meeting
Reuters asked 9,000 people across the country, "Do you support or oppose the idea of your state peacefully withdrawing from the United States of America and the federal government?"
Experts have said Texas would face an exceptionally difficult path to independence. Since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled secession illegal in 1861, the federal government would be compelled to use force against any state's attempt to leave the union.