‘New Illinois’ movement grows amid skepticism

Organizers pushing for a new, independent state within Illinois said they are prepared to play the long game to conquer the urban-rural divide.

The movement of counties wanting to break off into a new territory is growing.

G. H. Merritt, chairman of the board of the nonprofit New Illinois, said it is fundamentally about representation in government, not partisan politics. Merritt pointed out rural communities often feel forgotten and it is a phenomenon transcending party affiliation.

“The government is passing things that may be in the best interest of Chicago, which is fine. The problem is nobody cares about what’s in the best interest of rural, small town and suburban areas,” Merritt explained.

Merritt argued Gov. JB Pritzker has done a poor job of living up to his commitment to represent all parts of the state. Pritzker has consistently dismissed the movement as a partisan idea that will not work. Pritzker’s administration maintains the effort is not legally or financially feasible.

Two groups driving the separation effort

Merritt noted the push to form a separate state has been going on for nearly a century in different pockets of Illinois. Today, two separate organizations are taking ground. One is Merritt’s group, which works to educate residents about their constitutional right to pursue forming a new state. Another organization called Illinois Separation Referendum focuses on placing advisory referendums on county ballots.

Merritt added the current movement is different because it has grown to be widespread and organized. The Separation Referendum started its efforts downstate.

“New Illinois began in northern Illinois and so it’s worked its way down. They’ve worked their way up,” Merritt observed. “About 70 of Illinois’s 101 counties have an active state split movement going on there, so that tells you what the breadth of it is.”

Legal hurdles in Illinois and beyond

Under the U.S. Constitution, creating a new state from an existing one requires the consent of both the Illinois General Assembly and Congress. Critics believe neither is a realistic path.

But Merritt countered referendums have been approved in 33 counties already, with more expected to have measures on their ballots come November.

“Things like this, people think they’re crazy. They laugh at you,” Merritt acknowledged. “The fact is, if you end up with a massive majority of the geographic area of your state and the population there that wants this, they are going to have to listen.”

Judith Ruiz-Branch, Illinois News Connection

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Judith Ruiz-Branch is an award-winning journalist with over a decade of experience as a reporter/producer for TV, radio, print and podcast news. She's also served as a Spanish spokesperson and led communications, media and public relations team's at various organizations in Chicago. She began her career at WGN-TV in Chicago and went on to work for various news outlets including WBEZ Radio, Crain's Chicago Business, the Chicago Tribune and WNIN Tri-State Media among others. Her bilingual reporting with WNIN earned her two Murrow Awards, most recently for innovation in the digital space. Her favorite stories to report on are health, human interest, equity, justice, and immigration.

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