Frustrated Illinois residents are renewing calls to split from Chicago and create a new state, citing what the movement’s leader describes as growing anger over the city’s political influence across Illinois.
Loret Newlin, director of Illinois Separation, the group advocating for a vote on breaking away from Cook County, told News Media that residents outside the Chicago region feel overlooked by state leaders and want a greater voice in government.
“Our area is not taken into consideration when laws are being made,” Newlin said. “There’s definitely more focus on them, and the laws are centered to benefit Chicago and Cook [County].”
Loret Newlin, director of Illinois Separation, told News Media that residents outside the Chicago area feel ignored by state government. (iStock)
“There is a lot of area outside of Cook that should have been taken into consideration,” she said.
Newlin said voters in 11 counties and several Illinois townships will consider a non-binding referendum in November. The measure asks whether they support exploring a separation from Cook County and the creation of a new state.
Residents in several Illinois counties want to explore separating from Cook County, arguing that Chicago wields too much influence over the rest of the state. (Scott Olson/Getty Images; Marlin Levison/Star Tribune via Getty Images)
The referendums are designed to determine whether voters want to pursue a separate state made up of Illinois counties outside Cook County. Supporters cite Article IV, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution, the same provision used in the process that led to West Virginia’s statehood in 1863.
As an example of what she considers the state government’s failure to account for downstate residents, Newlin pointed to a proposed per-mile tax for drivers currently moving through the Illinois legislature.
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Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker speaks during a news conference in Chicago on Wednesday, June 24, 2026. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Newlin said the proposed mileage tax, introduced by state Sen. Ram Villivalam, whose district includes part of Chicago, would place a heavier burden on rural residents, farmers and truckers. Unlike many Chicago residents, she noted, people in those communities generally do not have comparable public transit options.
“It’s a long way to a lot of important things for people who live in downstate. A lot of our businesses rely on transportation. One of our biggest industries down here is truckers, farmers. And the commute to a job is usually a little farther and we don’t have the option of taking the Chicago public transit system,” Newlin said. “And we tried to defeat this in 2019 and succeeded, but as typical, they won’t take no for an answer.”
Newlin also took aim at Illinois’ SAFE-T Act, saying she is “not happy” with the law and believes it “really benefits the criminals.” She cited what she described as the law’s effects on Chicago.
Crime scene tape surrounds a home where a man was shot on May 28, 2017, in Chicago, Illinois. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Signed by Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker in 2021, the SAFE-T Act eliminated cash bail and created a new process for judges to decide whether defendants should remain in custody or be released while awaiting trial.
Pritzker has rejected the separation effort. A spokesperson for his office previously described the movement as a “stunt” that is “not going to happen,” according to NBC Chicago.
News Media contacted Pritzker and Villivalam for comment.