Think it’s time to add another star to our nation’s flag? New Illinois does.
In an effort to separate from Chicago’s voter majority, the nonpartisan, self-described educational nonprofit aims to carve out a new state composed of the remainder of the Land of Lincoln.
New Illinois’ goal is an escape from what it deems “a tyrannical form of government” and a future state where residents will be able to “experience a government representing their constitutional rights.”
As a resident of downstate Illinois, I see where they’re coming from.
Illinois is struggling under one of the nation’s highest tax burdens and boasts the fifth-highest unemployment rate in the country. Decades of fiscal mismanagement by state leaders have taken a toll on the state’s population, cutting critical tax revenue for an already cash-strapped state by billions.
If something doesn’t change, Illinois could soon find itself shrinking to its smallest congressional delegation in living memory.
But the answer to such dysfunction shouldn’t be to cut and run through some initiative that has next to no likelihood of being successful. Instead, downstate Illinoisans, the primary backers of New Illinois, should be winning over hearts and minds, leveraging existing infrastructure and legislative mechanisms to turn Illinois around.
The idea of “state-splitting” isn’t novel — similar partition proposals have been either discussed or attempted via referendum in states suich as California, Colorado and Maine in recent years. Yet, all have come up short to date, largely due to the massive legal and political hurdles involved.
As designed, the current plan for carving up Illinois is vague and confusing. According to New Illinois’ website, “Old Illinois would include Chicago and whatever areas wanted to maintain the status quo.”
Along with failing to define “status quo,” the website also leaves ambiguous what would happen to counties not bordering Cook County that wish to remain part of Old Illinois.
Consider the political landscape: In the last two presidential and gubernatorial contests, multiple counties outside Chicago and the surrounding suburbs voted each time for the top of the Democratic ticket. While New Illinois is neither a Republican nor Democratic initiative, most of its support comes from GOP grassroots activists.
If these Democratic-leaning counties, some of which border states such as Iowa and Missouri, stick with Old Illinois, which is expected to consist mostly of northeast Illinois, what happens to these noncontiguous territories?
Illinois could end up looking less like two separate states and more like a mini British Empire.
Then there’s the financial question of how the central and southern parts of the state would sustain their social programming and infrastructures without the tax revenue that comes from the Chicago area.
According to a study from the Paul Simon Institute, Illinoisans outside Chicago receive as much as $2.88 for every $1 paid in state taxes, while those in Chicago and its suburbs receive from 60 to 98 cents for every $1 paid. That means that Cook County and the counties that surround it end up paying more and getting less in terms of social services than their downstate compatriots.
With far fewer businesses and companies to collect tax revenue from, it’s hard to imagine where New Illinois would find the funds necessary to support itself without slashing services.
But the feasibility of funding is just one of many obstacles on the path to statehood.
Before future state lines can even be designed, the concept of splitting Illinois into two entities would require the support of legislators in Springfield and Washington, D.C.
While there are several lawmakers in the western and southern parts of the state who have expressed their frustration with what they consider to be the outsize influence of Chicago, there is absolutely no guarantee these same politicians would be willing to pull the trigger and push forward with such a radical change.
In fact, not a single federal lawmaker in Illinois has come out in support of these efforts, and even local leaders who support secession are quick to concede its impracticality of becoming a reality in their lifetimes. Without such backing, this proposal seems dead on arrival in both legislative bodies.
Illinois is a mess — just ask U-Haul whose trucks are primarily being used these days to get disillusioned residents out of the state. Instead of funneling resources into a pipe dream, why not enact real change from within?
Let’s rebuild the state’s Republican Party into a formidable opposition instead of a superminority. And let’s champion statewide candidates who can truly compete across Illinois, win and implement change, not just perform well in local enclaves.
To those in the New Illinois camp, your frustrations are valid, but remember one of Illinois’ most revered sons, Abraham Lincoln. Faced with a country tearing itself at the seams, he didn’t throw in the towel. Instead, he chose to fight for change.
Perhaps there’s a lesson there.
Jacob Lane is a Republican strategist based in Illinois. He has worked for GOP campaigns at the federal, state and local levels, as well as various political action committees and nonprofits. He is a contributor for Young Voices and a Newsmax Insider.
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