The Following Illinois Counties Voted in Favor of Forming Their Own State

Earlier this week, I wrote about several counties in Illinois that approved by large margins a referendum to discuss the possibility of forming a new state excluding Cook County. I contacted New Illinois, the organization which I believed spearheaded this effort, and found out the referendum was actually the brainchild of a group called Illinois Separation.

Still, New Illinois Chairman G. H. Merritt graciously provided me with a list of Illinois counties that have voted on the referendum and the percentage and number of votes in favor and against (which I fact-checked). The issue has appeared on ballots for just two elections: the Illinois primary election in March 2020 and the general election that just took place on November 3rd.

In nearly every instance, the percentage in favor met or exceeded 70% (with one exception, Christian County, which voted 69% in favor). 80% of voters in Jasper County voted in favor of the referendum. Here is the list (percentages have been rounded up):

November 2020

County	% Yes	% No	Yes Votes	No Votes
Bond	72%	28%	5,677	2,196
Christian	69%	31%	6,858	3,049
Clark	73.8%	26.2%	6,032	2,141
Cumberland	77%	23%	4,411	1,285
Edwards	78%	22%	1,584	452
Hancock	76%	24%	4,776	1,495
Jasper	80%	20%	3,786	925
Johnson	73%	27%	4,537	1,654
Lawrence	74%	25%	4,528	1,547
Marion	71%	29%	11,855	4,814
Massac	70%	30%	4,553	1,961
Moultrie	70%	30%	4,610	1,969
Pope	71%	29%	1,469	606
Pulaski	73%	27%	4,537	1,654
Richland	74%	26%	5,767	1,977
Shelby	73%	27%	8,470	3,189
Wabash	78%	22%	4,214	1,160
Wayne	74%	20%	6,309	1,671
White	74%	26%	5,315	1,851

March 2020

County	% Yes	% No	Yes Votes	No Votes
Effingham	73.8%	26.2%	5,638	2,001
Fayette	78.64%	21.36%	2,735	743
Jefferson	74.02%	25.98%	4,416	1,435

Of course, these 22 counties represent less than 1/4 of all Illinois counties outside Cook, but the vote totals are hard to ignore. To my knowledge, no one has previously attempted to put this issue to a vote (at least in recent memory). It must have come as a surprise even to its organizers. These are landslide results in any estimation.

Although both New Illinois and Illinois Separation include northern Illinois counties in their plans for a new state, only east-central and southern counties south of I-72 and I-74 have put the referendum on the ballot. In my experience having grown up in Illinois and living in various parts of the state, this region is much more distinct from the Chicagoland area and it makes sense that voters in these counties would be first to proclaim their interest in separation.

In terms of practical results, these nonbinding resolutions don’t mean much, but as an indicator of popular sentiment, they are very revealing. From now on, local politicians will be able to point to these results if they choose to advocate in Springfield for the creation of a new state. It will be tough for critics to argue that the idea has no popular support.