Grew up around central Illinois, the whole area blames Chicago for their problems while the true issue is all the auto manufacturing left in the 70-80s. If they formed their own state they'd be worse off than Mississippi. But hey, they'd get to keep Danville and East St. Louis, two of the worst cities in America.
If they formed their own state they'd be worse off than Mississippi
Hey now, no need for exaggeration! It takes decades if not centuries of extreme corruption and bigotry to get THAT awful. You don't get a title fight as your first bout.
The States Attorney already said its nothing more than a symbolic gesture. They legally cannot secede from the state. I have the severe misfortune of living in one of these counties. Everything around here is dead or dying because of decades of total, uncontested Republican rule. Whole towns here are nearly abandoned. And yet, they STILL bitch about how the Democrats, who have no control here, have ruined everything.
Not the solution you think it is. It would be the rural Republican areas of California that would split off, meaning the magats would have an even stronger lock on the senate.
I saw that on the ballot in Madison County and thought there would be no way it would pass. It passed in all 7 counties that had the proposal in the ballot.
There’s no way the counties down here can be financially solvent without the northern half of the state.
People keep telling me not to worry. After seeing so many things that “would never happen” come to pass it is difficult to not take this seriously. Both mine and my wife’s retirement is solely based on our Illinois teacher pensions. I’m guessing those dissolve if this comes to pass? Do I move preemptively?
I wouldn't think your state pension goes away since that's based on your employment with the state, not what state you currently reside in. Now any financial support those counties were getting from the state would go away.
Well, the electoral college (assuming we can vote again) would be based on population. And based on by very small amount of research:
Blue Illinois: ~17-18 electoral votes
Red Illinois: ~3-4 electoral votes
The last time Illinois voted red was in 1988 for Bush.
Here is an estimate of the outcome from ChatGPT, if you’re into such things.
If Illinois were split into “Red Illinois” and “Blue Illinois,” it would likely be a boon for the Democratic side (the “Blues”) rather than the Republicans (the “Reds”). Here’s why:
1. Electoral Vote Distribution:
• Blue Illinois (urban and suburban areas, especially around Chicago) would retain most of the population and, therefore, the majority of Illinois’ current electoral votes.
• Red Illinois (primarily rural areas) would receive only a small number of electoral votes due to its lower population.
2. National Electoral Impact:
• Currently, Illinois’ electoral votes (all 21) reliably go to the Democratic candidate. If split, Blue Illinois would continue to deliver its substantial number of votes to Democrats.
• Red Illinois, with its few electoral votes, would be a small gain for Republicans but would not offset the significant Democratic advantage from Blue Illinois.
3. Practical Outcome:
• While Republicans might gain a small number of electoral votes from Red Illinois, Democrats would retain the larger share. This would effectively increase the Democratic advantage, as they would gain electoral votes from a smaller but reliable “blue” state and leave Republicans with only a minor gain.
In summary, a split would likely strengthen the Democratic position overall, giving them a solidly blue state (Blue Illinois) with substantial electoral power while only slightly increasing the Republican count.
Last I checked, Iroquois county had 9000 yes votes to secede. Good luck with that massive tax revenue base. Chicagoland's 10 million plus residents will be happy to stop sending them money.
Honestly, if NYC voted to secede from the state, it would probably be pretty popular. Albany doesn't even pretend to view us as anything more than a piggy bank at this point.