Indiana May “Adopt” Some Illinois Counties That Want To Leave

It may be hard to believe for some, but nearly one-third of Illinois' 102 counties would like to leave the state of Illinois. Not only would they like to, they've voted to do it. Since 2020, all 33 of the following counties have voted yes for secession from Illinois:

• Effingham
• Fayette
• Jefferson
• Bond
• Brown
• Calhoun
• Christian
• Clark
• Clay
• Clinton
• Crawford
• Cumberland
• Edgar
• Edwards
• Greene
• Hancock
• Hardin
• Iroquois
• Jasper
• Jersey
• Johnson
• Lawrence
• Madison
• Marion
• Massac
• Moultrie
• Perry
• Pope
• Richland
• Shelby
• Wabash
• Wayne
• White

Some of the 33 counties have discussed creating their own state to give us a total of 51, while others have mulled over the idea of joining one of our bordering neighbors.

One Of Our Neighboring States, Indiana, Apparently Thinks That Grabbing Up Some Or All Of The 33 Counties That Want To Leave Illinois Is A Pretty Good Idea (Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri, And Kentucky Aren't Returning Our Calls, I Guess)

Indiana House Bill 1008 passed the Committee on Government and Regulatory Reform on Monday of this week. Normally it takes too long to print out the gist of most of these bills, but this one is short and to the point:

Indiana-Illinois boundary adjustment commission. Establishes the Indiana-Illinois boundary adjustment commission, including five members appointed by the governor and five members appointed under Illinois law, to discuss and recommend whether it is
advisable to adjust the boundaries between the two states. Effective: July 1, 2025

There's No Doubt That These Counties Are Serious About Leaving Illinois And Either Forming A New State Or Joining Another One, But This Is Definitely Going To Be An Uphill Struggle

It's nice to be wanted, and it appears that Indiana House Speaker Todd Huston does really want to see these Illinois counties become part of Indiana.

CBSNews.com:

Huston, a Republican from Fishers, an Indianapolis suburb, proposed the legislation after he learned 33 counties in Illinois have voted to leave the state since 2020.

"For those who wish to escape Illinois' political and economic mire but haven't yet moved to Indiana, there might be an alternative. Instead of forming a new state, the counties that voted to pursue secession should join us in a state that shares their values and economic interests," Huston wrote in a recent editorial for the Indianapolis Business Journal.

The problem is that Illinois counties wanting to leave and Indiana wanting to take them just isn't enough to make it happen. For that, the movement would have to pass in both Illinois' and Indiana's statehouses, and then it would have to be approved by Congress.