Should Illinois secede? Question on White House petition. So is Chief Illiniwek

WASHINGTON–Following the re-election of President Barack Obama, petitions for states to secede from the United States–including Illinois–are on the White House “We the People” website. If a petition reaches 25,000 on-line signatures within 30 days of posting, the Obama administration is supposed to “review” the petition.

There are two Illinois secession petitions on the site: as of Wednesday morning, one has 2,223 signatures; the other 3,047. Running the two petition has clearly diluted the Illinois impact. Each faces a Dec. 11 deadline to get 25,000 signatures to trigger the review.

Also in the running: A petition to “peacefully” have the University of Illinois get “Chief Illiniwek back as the school mascot.” So far, that one has 2,296 signatures. For a history of the controversy of the chief, click HERE.

The Daily Caller in an analysis posted Wednesday morning found seven states already met the 25,000-signature threshold, with Texas in the lead with 92,400 signers.

From the Daily Caller: “By 6:00 a.m. EST Wednesday, more than 675,000 digital signatures appeared on 69 separate secession petitions covering all 50 states, according to a Daily Caller analysis of requests lodged with the White House’s “We the People” online petition system.”

What is the “We the People” petition program? From the White House: “We the People is a new, easy way for Americans to make their voice heard in our government. It is a platform on the White House website where individuals can create and sign petitions that call for action by the federal government on a range of issues facing our nation. If a petition gathers enough signatures, it will be reviewed by White House staff and receive an official response. We the People helps the White House understand the views of the American people and have a focused and civil conversation with them.”