Illinois Separation Movement

[Ci Arovannea]

https://www.nprillinois.org/illinois/20 ... ssion-vote
https://www.nbcchicago.com/illinois-ele ... e/3593776/
https://wgntv.com/politics-3/illinois-r ... secession/

From NPR Illinois:
"Six counties in southwest Illinois — including Madison County in the Metro East — will take up nonbinding advisory referendums on Tuesday about whether they should inquire about leaving Cook County and forming a new state.

These ballot questions are part of a growing movement in downstate Illinois over the past couple of election cycles, as some voters outside Chicago and a few pockets have grown disillusioned with the direction of the state’s government."

This continues the Lincoln State's trend of ballot measures and proposals to break off southern, more rural and conservative counties from the more liberal and more populated north, including the capital of Springfield and the city of Chicago.

Cited reasons for these measures are numerous: Chicago dominating the state's population being one of them. Over two thirds of the state in the 2010s lived in the Chicago Metro, a share that has only gone upwards to something more like five-sixths as of 2024. The city and its surroundings hold immense political and economic sway, and has led to the Republican voters of many rural and suburban counties to feel disenfranchised and chained to the north.

As previously mentioned, the city commands a great deal of funding and power, leaving downstate residents reportedly displeased with the current state of affairs. This, and Illinois' still-vast debts and higher tax rates have all lead to these ballots and votes - which are gaining a surprising deal of traction.
Campaigners have stated that these measures are designed to get Springfield and Pritzker to pay better attention to the smaller towns and counties.

(Also important to note is that the last and only time this actually occurred was with Virginia/West Virginia in 1863.)

So what does NSG think?

Well, personally I feel very conflicted about my home state trying to break in two. I fear that neither the cities nor the farms will benefit very much from being severed - the tax levied from Chicago provides a staggering amount of income that would be unavailable to the downstate counties should they break away; to say nothing, of course, of the decline of the small town and the rural-urban population shift. That money vanishing will definitely hurt, and losing access to areas like the lower Mississippi, highways and potentially everything up to St. Louis could result in negative consequences for upstate as well.
Another issue is that this would lead to another - likely red - state, with two GOP senators and a GOP governor being the probable end result. Given the South's developments in regards to things taken for granted here - abortion, transgender rights, immigrant protections - it is likely these rights and laws will face great risk of rollback. That's if Congress and the state Legislature even approves this.

edited: for spellchecking and a bit of added historical context

[Based Illinois]

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[Havenburghe]

It's great until it's passed and they realized how poor they are and lack of necessities they have. Like yes let's get rid of your basically sugar daddy.

[Alvosa]

I agree, It seems most of the counties want this and they are very different politically from Springfield and Chicago, who dominate the state. Secession will allow them to have a voice. Although they would need some of the southern counties that haven’t had poles to remove border gore.

[The Archregimancy]

US Constitution Article IV, Section 3, Clause 1:

New States may be admitted by the Congress into this Union; but no new State shall be formed or erected within the Jurisdiction of any other State; nor any State be formed by the Junction of two or more States, or Parts of States, without the Consent of the Legislatures of the States concerned as well as of the Congress.

Short version: Illinois would need to provide its consent for the formation of a new state out of the existing territory of Illinois.

Good luck with that, then.

[Based Illinois]

It's great until it's passed and they realized how poor they are and lack of necessities they have. Like yes let's get rid of your basically sugar daddy.

Without Chicago, Illinois is basically Kansas, or Iowa.

Im fine with that.

[GMS Greater Miami Shores 1]

https://www.nprillinois.org/illinois/2024-11-01/southwest-illinois-voters-to-weigh-split-from-chicago-county-in-secession-vote
https://www.nbcchicago.com/illinois-ele ... e/3593776/
https://wgntv.com/politics-3/illinois-r ... secession/

From NPR Illinois:
"Six counties in southwest Illinois — including Madison County in the Metro East — will take up nonbinding advisory referendums on Tuesday about whether they should inquire about leaving Cook County and forming a new state.

These ballot questions are part of a growing movement in downstate Illinois over the past couple of election cycles, as some voters outside Chicago and a few pockets have grown disillusioned with the direction of the state’s government."

This continues the Lincoln State's trend of ballot measures and proposals to break off southern, more rural and conservative counties from the more liberal and more populated north, including the capital of Springfield and the city of Chicago.

Cited reasons for these measures are numerous: Chicago dominating the state's population being one of them. Over two thirds of the state in the 2010s lived in the Chicago Metro, a share that has only gone upwards to something more like five-sixths as of 2024. The city and its surroundings hold immense political and economic sway, and has led to the Republican voters of many rural and suburban counties to feel disenfranchised and chained to the north.

As previously mentioned, the city commands a great deal of funding and power, leaving downstate residents reportedly displeased with the current state of affairs. This, and Illinois' still-vast debts and higher tax rates have all lead to these ballots and votes - which are gaining a surprising deal of traction.
Campaigners have stated that these measures are designed to get Springfield and Pritzker to pay better attention to the smaller towns and counties.

(Also important to note is that the last and only time this actually occurred was with Virginia/West Virginia in 1863.)

So what does NSG think?

Well, personally I feel very conflicted about my home state trying to break in two. I fear that neither the cities nor the farms will benefit very much from being severed - the tax levied from Chicago provides a staggering amount of income that would be unavailable to the downstate counties should they break away; to say nothing, of course, of the decline of the small town and the rural-urban population shift. That money vanishing will definitely hurt, and losing access to areas like the lower Mississippi, highways and potentially everything up to St. Louis could result in negative consequences for upstate as well.
Another issue is that this would lead to another - likely red - state, with two GOP senators and a GOP governor being the probable end result. Given the South's developments in regards to things taken for granted here - abortion, transgender rights, immigrant protections - it is likely these rights and laws will face great risk of rollback. That's if Congress and the state Legislature even approves this.

edited: for spellchecking and a bit of added historical context

I used to live in Chicago and the Chicago Suburbs. I have NS Illinois. But I love this part: Another issue is that this would lead to another - likely red - state, with two GOP senators and a GOP governor being the probable end result, and at least one house representative.

[Based Illinois]

https://www.nprillinois.org/illinois/2024-11-01/southwest-illinois-voters-to-weigh-split-from-chicago-county-in-secession-vote
https://www.nbcchicago.com/illinois-ele ... e/3593776/
https://wgntv.com/politics-3/illinois-r ... secession/

From NPR Illinois:
"Six counties in southwest Illinois — including Madison County in the Metro East — will take up nonbinding advisory referendums on Tuesday about whether they should inquire about leaving Cook County and forming a new state.

These ballot questions are part of a growing movement in downstate Illinois over the past couple of election cycles, as some voters outside Chicago and a few pockets have grown disillusioned with the direction of the state’s government."

This continues the Lincoln State's trend of ballot measures and proposals to break off southern, more rural and conservative counties from the more liberal and more populated north, including the capital of Springfield and the city of Chicago.

Cited reasons for these measures are numerous: Chicago dominating the state's population being one of them. Over two thirds of the state in the 2010s lived in the Chicago Metro, a share that has only gone upwards to something more like five-sixths as of 2024. The city and its surroundings hold immense political and economic sway, and has led to the Republican voters of many rural and suburban counties to feel disenfranchised and chained to the north.

As previously mentioned, the city commands a great deal of funding and power, leaving downstate residents reportedly displeased with the current state of affairs. This, and Illinois' still-vast debts and higher tax rates have all lead to these ballots and votes - which are gaining a surprising deal of traction.
Campaigners have stated that these measures are designed to get Springfield and Pritzker to pay better attention to the smaller towns and counties.

(Also important to note is that the last and only time this actually occurred was with Virginia/West Virginia in 1863.)

So what does NSG think?

Well, personally I feel very conflicted about my home state trying to break in two. I fear that neither the cities nor the farms will benefit very much from being severed - the tax levied from Chicago provides a staggering amount of income that would be unavailable to the downstate counties should they break away; to say nothing, of course, of the decline of the small town and the rural-urban population shift. That money vanishing will definitely hurt, and losing access to areas like the lower Mississippi, highways and potentially everything up to St. Louis could result in negative consequences for upstate as well.
Another issue is that this would lead to another - likely red - state, with two GOP senators and a GOP governor being the probable end result. Given the South's developments in regards to things taken for granted here - abortion, transgender rights, immigrant protections - it is likely these rights and laws will face great risk of rollback. That's if Congress and the state Legislature even approves this.

edited: for spellchecking and a bit of added historical context

I used to live in Chicago and the Chicago Suburbs. I have NS Illinois. But I love this part: Another issue is that this would lead to another - likely red - state, with two GOP senators and a GOP governor being the probable end result, and at least one house representative.

Not necessarily, East Saint Louis would be a bastion for liberalism in this hypothetical state. It would certainly lean republican, but I don't think it would be a solid red state in the same way Alabama or Wyoming is, more of a Georgia or Arkansas.

I don't actually have much an opinion on this matter, Illinois has plenty of problems which aren't Chicago's fault that separation would do little to alleviate or change. I just think it's fun to hypothesize. Unless of course they can provide some actually solid material reasons for why this would be overall beneficial outside of something as fickle as demography affecting influence in the state - something that is want to change over generations.

[San Lumen]

The state legislature will never agree to this. The constitution is very clear on this.

No new State shall be formed or erected within the Jurisdiction of any other State; nor any State be formed by the Junction of two or more States, or Parts of States, without the Consent of the Legislatures of the States concerned as well as of the Congress.

[Cows with Guns]

If this succeeds maybe the Upper Peninsula secession movement will gain more traction.

[Kostane]

Let them leave. I don’t imagine it making all that much of a difference.

[Kernen]

Godspeed, separatists. It'll never work but I love the idea.

[Camtropia]

Simple, let them separate, split California in two (it's too big right now), then admit Puerto Rico as a state.

Then the US will have 53 states. 53 is a prime number. So the US will finally be one nation, indivisible.

(This is a (really bad) joke)

[Ci Arovannea]

Simple, let them separate, split California in two (it's too big right now), then admit Puerto Rico as a state.

Then the US will have 53 states. 53 is a prime number. So the US will finally be one nation, indivisible.

(This is a (really bad) joke)

If Cali is too big, so are Texas, Florida and New York.

[Aurevbush]

This calls for a whole change in the way we look at borders. Kinda based if you ask me, although I'm not an ""official"" adherant of this enterprise.
https://www.utahism.org/

[Kostane]

Simple, let them separate, split California in two (it's too big right now), then admit Puerto Rico as a state.

Then the US will have 53 states. 53 is a prime number. So the US will finally be one nation, indivisible.

(This is a (really bad) joke)

If Cali is too big, so are Texas, Florida and New York.

Split each of those into 3 separate states and they’ll be 59, which is still indivisible.

[Rusozak]

It seems to me like it's always the places most dependent on the rest of the whole that threaten to secede. And for the same reason you don't let a toddler take care of themselves no one calls their bluff. And I think they know that.

[Deblar]

welp, guess this means i can secede from texas. expect a declaration soon. /hj

[Kerwa]

ugh, third coast stuff.

[Digital Planets]

Illinois is literally the worst state in the union, worse than Texas and Rhode Island combined, and I welcome its impending fracture.

Fuck Illinois.

[Floofybit]

Great, that just means more electoral votes for the party I don't like.

[Emotional Support Crocodile]

Burning the bridges of Madison County.

[GMS Greater Miami Shores 1]

Great, that just means more electoral votes for the party I don't like.

and it means more electoral votes for the party I like and we like.

[Risottia]

Soyez heureux d'informer Sa Majesté que le Drapeau Blanc flotte à côté de le Drapeau d'Erable en Nouveau Michigan du Sud. Dieu sauve le Roi.

[Slembana]

Great, that just means more electoral votes for the party I don't like.

and it means more electoral votes for the party I like and we like.

Who is “we”?