Indiana lawmakers are reportedly looking into a proposal to absorb parts of Illinois since multiple counties there voted to secede. A bill for the creation of an "Indiana-Illinois Boundary Adjustment Commission" has been introduced with the goal of embracing Illinois counties "that want to join low-tax, low-cost Indiana."
Micah Clark, executive director of the American Family Association of Indiana, says even though 33 counties have signaled their desire to leave the state, the Illinois Legislature would have to approve the move, which is highly unlikely.
"There's been this rivalry between Illinois and Indiana for some time over business and taxes," he tells AFN. "We each run different billboards in our states; Indiana runs billboards in Illinois saying we have lower taxes here, a lower cost of living, especially up around Chicago, and there's been a lot of people who've left Illinois and come to Indiana."
In fact, more than 100,000 Illinois residents have relocated to Indiana since 2021, suggesting a trend of migration regardless of state boundaries.
Most of the counties in question now are in central and southern Illinois, spanning east to west. Some already border Indiana. So while liberal Chicago "kind of runs the state," Clark says a lot of Illinoisans are more aligned with their neighbors' conservative values, and there is a strong desire to have the boundaries redrawn.
"I don't think it's something that is likely, but certainly it's something that's getting a lot of discussion here," he reports.
From 1800 to 1809, Illinois was part of Indiana before being divided into a separate state. Meanwhile, the idea of redrawing state lines is not new. Similar proposals have surfaced in other parts of the country.
