New Illinois convention set to discuss secession from Chicago
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (WTVO) — New Illinois, a group that seeks to separate the majority of Illinois from Cook County, is planning to hold its next weekend.
The event will be held at the Chateau Hotel and Conference Center, at 1621 Jumer Drive, in Bloomington on Friday and Saturday, April 4th and 5th.
New Illinois formed in 2018 with a mission to 'educate Illinois citizens about their right to form a new state from the State of Illinois, according to the procedure provided in the U.S. Constitution, following the West Virginia model.'
Chairman G.H. Merritt told that 'People look at this on the surface and think it's a Democrat versus Republican thing, that is not the way we see it at all. It is an urban versus rural, small town and suburban thing.'
The movement cites among its reasons for wanting to form a new state separate from Chicago: lack of representative government, extreme gerrymandering, violation of Second Amendment rights, and calls the government of Illinois 'a tyranny.'
At least 33 Illinois counties, including Madison County, Iroquois County, Calhoun County, Clinton County, Green County, Jersey County, and Perry County, have voted on a non-binding measure to consider splitting from Chicago and Cook County and forming a new state.
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.
An Indiana House committee that would adopt several Illinois counties that indicated they wanted to secede from the state.
The bill was introduced by Indiana's House Speaker, Rep. Todd Huston (R), who said 'To all of our neighbors in the West, we hear your frustrations and invite you to join us in low-cost, low-tax Indiana. Instead of seceding and creating a 51st state, they should just join us.'
Huston's would create the Indiana-Illinois Boundary Adjustment Commission, which would discuss and recommend whether it is advisable to adjust boundaries between the two states.
But, the process to annex those counties into Indiana would have to go through both Illinois and Indiana statehouses and Washington D.C. Redrawing state borders would ultimately take an act of Congress.
'It's a stunt. It's not going to happen,' Gov. JB Pritzker said in January. 'I don't think that's attractive for anyone in Illinois, where wages are higher and the standard of living is higher, and we do provide health care for people in need.'
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul , 'The admissions clause [of the U.S. Constitution] grants Congress the power to admit new states and prevents a subdivision of an existing state from breaking away without the state's consent.'
'When you have a very large group of people that is disenfranchised, that is going to cause division and I think separating states maybe would help people get along better,' Merritt said.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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