President Donald Trump recently threw out ideas about acquiring territories like the Panama Canal and Greenland. Meanwhile, some rural inhabitants of Illinois and Oregon are promoting geopolitical change on a smaller scale: separating from their states to potentially unite with Indiana or Idaho.
Advocates argue they have more in common with rural communities across state borders than with urban residents in Chicago and Portland, Oregon. They claim that Democratic-led cities overpower the state governments, causing rural, Republican perspectives to be overlooked.
Within the past five years, 33 Illinois counties voted on the idea of separating from Chicago’s Cook County to establish a new state, with each vote showing a majority in favor. Indiana politicians have shown some receptiveness, as the state’s House of Representatives moved forward legislation welcoming Illinois counties to join Indiana. This would be the first significant state realignment since West Virginia parted ways with Virginia during the Civil War. Nevertheless, substantial obstacles hinder the process of changing state lines in the U.S. Primarily, the states losing counties would need to consent, which is improbable, and Congressional approval would also be necessary.
State boundaries in the U.S. have adjusted over 50 times historically, often involving minor changes like accounting for shifting rivers or confirming ancient survey markers. However, Illinois and Oregon organizers hope the contemporary political climate works in their favor.
“With this polarization,” comments G.H. Merritt from New Illinois, the group determined to break away. “It might just reach a tipping point.”
But what inspires this push for separation in Illinois? At least three groups advocate for redefining Illinois county lines to distance from Chicago and nearby suburbs. Cook County encompasses roughly 40% of Illinois’s population, primarily representing Black, Asian, and Hispanic communities, and is recognized for its cultural riches, pension debt, and crime history. Democrats dominate legislative districts in the Chicago area, while Republicans primarily represent other state regions.
To Merritt, since the 1964 Supreme Court decision allotting legislative seats on population rather than counties, Chicago has seized substantial political influence. “What we experience in Illinois mirrors what our Colonial ancestors faced,” Merritt said. “We have taxation without representation.”
The preferred ballot measures empower officials in each county to negotiate forming a new state, but stop short of declaring independence. In response, Indiana lawmakers have initiated legislation possibly starting state-level negotiations.
“We believe we offer positive alternatives here,” commented Indiana House Speaker Todd Huston, who crafted the proposal, referencing Indiana’s lower taxes and economic growth relative to Illinois.
Yet, Illinois’s likely response is indifferent. Earlier this year, Governor J.B. Pritzker dubbed the Indiana proposition “a stunt” with little potential.
Meanwhile, in Oregon, Republican-leaning residents in the state’s eastern rural regions have laid groundwork to sever ties with Democratic-influenced western areas of the Cascade Mountains and join Idaho instead.
The Greater Idaho initiative secured nonbinding victories across 13 counties, engaging residents through town halls, merchandise, and billboard campaigns declaring “Release Eastern Oregon.” A supportive resolution passed the Idaho House two years back inviting Oregon to discuss the idea. However, similar proposals remain stalled within the Oregon Legislature with little hope of advancement.
Presently, state boundaries do alter, yet significant changes are rare. The last instance of entire counties switching states occurred over 150 years ago, with unionists forming West Virginia after Virginia’s secession in 1861. Legal disputes over two counties were resolved in West Virginia’s favor by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1871.
Since then, repeated unsuccessful realignment appeals have emerged, including Norman Mailer’s 1969 mayoral campaign proposing New York’s transformation into its own state, southern New Jersey counties’ 1980 secession vote, and multiple California subdivision proposals. Recently, an Iowa lawmaker suggested acquiring nine southern Minnesota counties.
Geographer Garrett Dash Nelson once envisioned rearranging state lines around metropolis areas, despite recognizing the hurdles: “There’s little evidence indicating real political will or interest in redrawing state lines. It would be a vast undertaking.” Nelson expressed.
