
Could new laws be in our future? In the November election, seven counties in Illinois voted in favor of a ballot initiative to explore secession. According to the county clerks’ offices, these counties are Iroquois, Calhoun, Clinton, Green, Jersey, Madison, and Perry.
Before the 2024 election cycle, NBC reported that at least two dozen counties had already voted affirmatively on similar non-binding measures. In response to this movement, Indiana’s Republican-majority General Assembly members have introduced a House bill to establish a commission to discuss adjusting the boundary between Illinois and Indiana.
House Republicans in Indiana seem to be receptive to this idea, with House Speaker Todd Huston stating, “To all of our neighbors in the west, we hear your frustrations and invite you to join us in low-cost, low-tax Indiana.”
The Indianapolis Star reported that House Republicans have listed this bill among their top priorities for the 2025 session, emphasizing that numerous counties in Illinois have voted since 2020 to secede from their high-tax state.
This is what Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker had to say about Indiana’s proposal:
…It’s not going to happen, he said. “But I’ll just that say Indiana is a low-wage state that doesn’t protect workers, a state that does not provide health care for people when they’re in need and so I don’t think it’s very attractive for anybody in Illinois…