Pro-Trump Counties Vote to Secede from Illinois, Form New Red State

Illinois voters in several pro-Trump counties voted in favor of seceding from Illinois to try to form a new state during the recent election.

The question, "Shall the board of [the county] correspond with the boards of other counties of Illinois, outside of Cook County, about the possibility of separating from Cook County to form a new state and to seek admission to the Union as such, subject to the approval of the people?" was featured on the ballots of voters in counties outside Cook County.

Seven counties voted in favor of secession, and in six of those counties, more than 70% of voters were in favor of the measure, as reported by NBC Chicago.

During previous elections in 2020 and 2022, at least 21 other counties voted in favor of secession in similar ballot measures, as reported by WGN-TV.

New Illinois, an organization that has been trying to achieve secession for several years, previously told WTVO in 2023, "All power in Illinois government is concentrated in Cook County and Chicago. This leaves the rest of the States' residents with no real representation."

Meanwhile, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul wrote in a 2023 letter on the issue, "The Illinois Constitution of 1970 does not grant non-home-rule counties the power to secede from the state of Illinois."

Of the 102 counties in Illinois, just 13 voted for Vice President Kamala Harris in the election, according to Politico. However, those counties included the greater Chicago area, which harbors a significant portion of Illinois' population. Harris won Illinois with 53.6% of the votes.