(Indianapolis, Ind.) - Indiana is one of several states where citizens have started an online petition to peacefully withdraw from the U.S. and start their own government.

Thirty-four states are petitioning the Obama administration to secede and create their own governments.  The secession petitions have been filed since President Obama's re-election last week on the We The People website.  The White House launched the site last year to give people a way to petition the administration to take action on various issues. 

Among the states where citizens have begun the petitions are Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio. During the Civil War, Indiana and Ohio stood with Abraham Lincoln to preserve the union. Kentucky remained neutral. Nearly 150 years after the war, thousands of people want to see their state secede.

According to the website, any petition that gathers at least 25,000 signatures within 30 days will receive a response from the White House. As of noon Wednesday, Indiana had gained over 17,500 online signatures. 

Indiana State Rep. Tim Brown (R-Crawfordsville) says everyone has the right to sign a petition.

“Everybody has a right to sign a petition that they feel comfortable with,” Brown said.

However, House Speaker Brian Bosma (R-Indianapolis) says he has one message for those who are worried about the future of the country. 

“We’ll work through this. The Republic will survive,” he said.

Another petition was recently started in response to the secession movement. It calls for the President to strip the citizenship of anyone who signs a secession petition and have them deported.