A growing number of Illinois communities are backing the idea of considering a split from the state. In Tuesday’s election, 12 more counties approved nonbinding referendum initiatives on secession. In total, 45 counties have now supported similar measures since 2020. Supporters of the movement argue that southern Illinois is overlooked by state authorities and that the interests of Chicago and Cook County dominate politics in Springfield, the state capital.
Another 12 Illinois Counties Back Secession Referendums
The latest round of referendums took place in 12 counties during Tuesday’s election. All of the initiatives won voter support. Similar votes were also held in several municipalities in Adams County.
The new results raised to 45 the number of counties that have voted since 2020 in favor of considering a possible separation from Illinois.
In 2026, the initiatives were supported by the following counties:
– Coles
– Gallatin
– Hamilton
– Henderson
– Macoupin
– McDonough
– Monroe
– Piatt
– Saline
– Warren
– Washington
In addition, a referendum was approved in Ford County, but it was worded differently and was not connected to the secession campaign.
Earlier votes produced similar results. In 2024, seven counties backed the initiatives, in 2022 two did, and in 2021 one did. The largest number of such decisions came in 2020, when referendums were approved in 23 counties.
It is worth stressing that these votes are nonbinding. Their results do not mean any community will automatically separate from Illinois. Instead, they allow residents to express support for starting a discussion on the issue.
Secession Supporters Criticize Dominance of Chicago and Cook County
Organizers of the movement say residents of southern and rural Illinois have too little influence over decisions made by state authorities. In their view, the legislature’s policies often focus on Chicago and Cook County, overlooking the needs of other regions.
Loret Newlin, one of the people involved in organizing the referendum campaign, argues that southern communities are not adequately taken into account when state laws are made.
Supporters of the initiative talk mainly about creating a new state, rather than attaching the southern counties to neighboring Indiana. However, they acknowledge that any secession would be a lengthy and complicated process.
It would require the approval of the Illinois General Assembly and the U.S. Congress.
Indiana Offers an Alternative, but Research Undercuts Secession Backers’ Arguments
Politicians in Indiana have presented another possibility. Todd Huston, speaker of the Indiana House of Representatives, said in 2025 that Indiana is ready to talk with Illinois communities interested in joining the neighboring state.
He pointed to Indiana’s lower taxes, more business-friendly regulatory environment and economic growth. By his estimate, more than 100,000 people have moved from Illinois to Indiana since 2020.
At the same time, research by the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University undermines the secession movement’s main arguments about an unfair distribution of state funds.
The analysis of state tax revenue and spending found that southern regions of Illinois receive more money from the state budget than they pay in taxes.
Despite those findings, support for considering secession is spreading to more counties. For now, however, it remains primarily an expression of some residents’ dissatisfaction with state government policy, rather than a real step toward dividing Illinois.
Source: Polski.FM