Indiana Wants to Absorb a Significant Chunk of Illinois

Merely a few weeks after Iowa legislators expressed interest in “buying” nine counties from Minnesota, Illinois’ neighbor is expressing interest in pillaging some of their counties for their own state.

Indiana House Speak Todd Huston said that Indiana lawmakers are looking into a proposal to absorb parts of Illinois after multiple counties voted to secede from the state. This is a wild turn of events, even if the likelihood of Indiana “taking on” a significant portion of the Land of Lincoln feels a bit unlikely.

According to Huston, seven Illinois counties voted in November to leave the state. It was determined by Huston that 33 counties in total voted to secede, which makes up just about a third of Illinois. Instead of forming a 51st state, Huston suggested that these counties could become a part of Indiana, per Fox 32 Chicago.

Most of the 33 counties are in central and southern Illinois, spanning east to west. Some are along the Indiana border. Fox 32 Chicago also notes that Illinois was once a part of Indiana from 1800 to 1809 before being divided into an entirely different state.

However, several legal hurdles would have to cleared for these Illinois counties to officially become part of Indiana:

• Both the Indiana and Illinois legislatures would need to pass bills approving the change.
• A commission would be formed to work out the logistics of shifting state boundaries.
• Both states would have to approve the commission’s report.
• Congress would need to sign off on the proposal.

More than 100,000 Illinois residents have left the state in favor of Indiana, citing lower taxes, fewer regulations, and strong economic growth as some of the attractive factors. Huston himself acknowledged that:

We just think this is a great opportunity for people that are interested in Illinois that want to secede, but we say, ‘join us.’ Low taxes, low regulatory environment, a ton of economic development already taking place. We’re kinda raising our hand to say ‘hey don’t start a 51st state, we’d love to have you in Indiana.’ – Indiana House Speak Todd Huston, per Fox 32 Chicago

When Iowa lawmakers proposed purchasing some of Minnesota’s southernmost counties and incorporating them as part of Iowa (therein making them the northernmost Iowa counties), Iowa cited lower taxes, farm-friendly policies, and a budget surplus as attractive talking points to expand the state.

Whether or not Congress, let alone other Indiana and Illinois lawmakers, take this move seriously remains to be seen. Read more on Fox 32 Chicago’s website.