Indiana Initiates Effort to Redraw State Lines to Include Parts of Illinois

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana is taking a first step toward acquiring parts of Illinois, though a last step appears rather unlikely.

The Indiana Legislature recently approved a bill to establish the Indiana-Illinois Boundary Adjustment Commission. This commission will be tasked with determining if changes to the border between the two states are necessary. The motivation behind this move stems from the desire of some residents in certain Illinois counties to break away from the influence of the city of Chicago.

Governor Mike Braun, a Republican from Indiana, has expressed his intention to sign this bill into law. Once signed, there will be a deadline of September 1 for scheduling the commission’s first meeting, where initial discussions and plans will take place.

But there’s a hitch.

A change in state boundaries also would need approval from Illinois and the U.S. Congress. And Illinois’ top elected officials don’t like the idea.

On the other hand, a related bill that would enable Illinois to participate in the border adjustment commission is still pending a hearing in an Illinois House committee. Earlier in the year, Governor J.B. Pritzker of Illinois, a Democrat, criticized the Indiana legislation, dismissing it as a mere political maneuver.

Minor boundary changes between states are not unusual; there have been at least 50 throughout U.S. history, according the National Center for Interstate Compacts at The Council of State Governments. But no major changes have occurred since the Civil War era, when some Virginia counties broke way to form West Virginia.

The current movement involving Illinois and Indiana stems from political and urban-rural divisions. Democrats dominate the Chicago area and thus also control state government, while Republicans represent many other parts of Illinois. Republicans also control Indiana government.

In the last five years, voters in 33 Illinois counties have approved ballot measures asking if they want to consider separating from Chicago’s Cook County to form a new state. But that doesn’t necessarily mean they would link up with Indiana, if given the chance.

A similar movement is underway in eastern Oregon, where some counties want to break away from their Democratic-led state and join Republican-led Idaho. The Idaho House passed a measure two years ago inviting Oregon to enter into discussions. But similar measures remain buried in committees in the Oregon Legislature.