Voters in several more Illinois counties say they want to test the waters and look at the possibility of seceding from Illinois… or at least severing ties with Cook County.
Referenda on the ballot in Brown and Hardin Counties, and a portion of Madison County, all won substantial support for looking into the process for secession. In recent years, more than 25 Illinois counties have passed non-binding measures seeking to secede and form a new state, mainly out of frustration with what they see as Chicago’s dominance of Illinois politics.
But the idea has never progressed passed the referendum stage, and it’s unclear if there is any legal mechanism for a group of counties to attempt to leave the state.
