Illinois Counties Set Nonbinding Votes on Leaving Cook County

Illinois separation advocates say residents outside Chicago and Cook County feel underrepresented in state government and are seeking nonbinding local referendums on exploring a new state. The movement’s leader points to a proposed per-mile driving tax as an example of policies she says would burden rural residents, farmers and truckers who have fewer transit alternatives. The latest votes follow successful nonbinding secession measures in dozens of Illinois counties, though support in local referendums would not itself change state boundaries. Any new state or boundary change would require approval from the Illinois General Assembly and Congress; Gov. JB Pritzker’s office has dismissed the effort as a stunt.