Residents in 22 states have petitioned the federal government to secede from the Union after President Obama's re-election.

Approximately 157,000 people in states including Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia and Texas have signed their names to petitions.
    
The petitions have been submitted through the White House's website "We the People."
    
Louisiana was the first state to file, with more than 13,000 signatures. But some residents say the move is nonsense.

"I think it's ridiculous. Honestly, I really do. It's really dumb," La. resident Alan Singleton said.

Another resident, Ciara Hazey, said, "I still feel like it's pretty unneccessary to want to like separate and make your own country away from the United States. We're a little small for that."

The White House promises a response if a petition has more than 25,000 signatures in 30 days.
    
Texas is the only state to reach that benchmark so far.

Other states that have filed petitions include Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, South Carolina and Tennessee.