Publisher’s note: While the US media maintains a virtual blackout on emerging state secession conversations around North America, international news outlets are taking more notice. Witness this feature story from the People’s Republic of China’s Xinhua News Agency on #Calexit. Free Vermont, and long live the UNtied States of the Americas!

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) — California’s campaign of secession from the United States launched a new round of attempt with a new leader and a new ballot initiative, Xinhua learned Tuesday.

In an email to Xinhua, Yes California Independent Campaign disclosed that the activist group had appointed Marcus Ruiz Evans, who previously served as the organization’s vice president, as a new president.

California is located on the west coast of North America. It is the largest U.S. state by population and the third largest by area.

Evans said he would work cooperatively with “any organization in California that supports California’s independence,” hinting that under his leadership, the various pro-independence organizations in California will be more united than before.

Moreover, the group announced they were ready to file a new initiative for 2018 ballot.

According to law, this document should be filed to the state attorney general by Aug. 22. If it was permitted, the organization needs to collect over 585,000 signatures in the next six months in order to qualify for the 2018 ballot.

After it reaches the target, there will be a ballot in November next year. If the ballot is passed, there would be a statewide special election in March 2019 to ask voters if they want California to become an independent country.

This is the latest attempt to put a so-called Calexit measure on the 2018 ballot. An earlier attempt of Yes California Independent Campaign started in January but was canceled in April after the organizer announced his quitting and immigrated to Russia.

Support for California’s secession began long before Trump won the presidential election last year but has been growing fast since.

A much-publicized Reuters poll in January and a UC Berkeley IGS Poll in March suggested as many as one-third of Californians wanted the state to become a nation.