Bringing the Number to 28
Chicago and Cook County enjoy majority power and influence in Illinois politics. Major TV networks create shows to make the city look less like a war zone than it is. But people in and out of Chicago know the truth. Illinois without Chicago and Cook County is a peaceful place, and predominately Republican.
Most of America is a red county, actually.
And a growing number of them, in Illinois, want to get away from the oversized influence of Chicago and Cook County.
The citizens of seven additional Illinois counties have voted to consider splitting from Chicago and Cook County and forming a new state.
All seven counties that had a ballot question, asking voters if they wanted to explore secession, voted in favor of the proposal, according to NBC 5 Chicago.
The ballot question reads, “Shall the board of (the county) correspond with the boards of other counties of Illinois, outside of Cook County, about the possibility of separating from Cook County to form a new state and to seek admission to the Union as such, subject to the approval of the people?”
Illinois voters who support the referendums argue that Chicago and Cook County voters hold an oversized sway in policies enacted by the state legislature, and do not align with the priorities of rural voters.
Voters in Iroquois County, Calhoun County, Clinton County, Green County, Jersey County, Madison County, and Perry County passed the measure Tuesday night, joining at least 21 other counties that voted in favor of secession discussions in the 2020 and 2022 elections.
A similar movement motivates the Greater Idaho movement where states like Washington and Oregon, overwhelmingly red geographically, are “overwhelmed” by liberal cities like Portland or Seattle.
They are sick of it and want out.
That translating into new states or transitions to join neighboring states, to date, has been untenable but who knows. If the Trump era part II works out and JD Vance follows him in 2028, the movement might find some friends in DC and congress without whom, they remain trapped.
One more note. I know the NHEXIT folks are excited about these movements despite theirs being one to leave the Republic. But there’s no easy way to target county level voters in New Hampshire and majority of the legislature is never voting to leave the United States. They’re just not. But you might be able to get movement at the town level and if you got enough towns. who knows.
