Local Voters Supported Chicago Separation - What Happens Next?
JERSEY COUNTY - On Election Day, local voters made it clear where they stand on separating from Cook County (and its county seat, Chicago). Jersey County was just one Riverbend county to support separation, with 76% voting in favor - so what happens next?
Long story short: nothing yet. But as Jersey County Board Chairman Gary Krueger points out, the referendum’s purpose wasn’t to make the separation official, but to gauge public opinion.
“I knew it had no legal clout,” Krueger said. “For me, it was a chance to get the mood of Jersey County voters about this as the subject has been brought up before.”
The referendum appeared on voters’ ballots as an advisory question, rather than a legally-binding question, which was worded as follows:
"Shall the County Board of Jersey County correspond with the boards of other counties of Illinois outside of Cook County about the possibility of separating from Cook County to form a new state, and to seek admission to the Union as such, subject to the approval of the people?"
The question also appeared on the ballot in Calhoun, Greene, and Madison Counties, with the majority of voters in each voting “Yes.” The exact results reported from Election Night are as follows:
- Jersey County
- Yes: 76%
- No: 23%
- Madison County
- Yes: 57%
- No: 43%
- Calhoun County
- Yes: 76%
- No: 23%
- Greene County
- Yes: 74%
- No: 26%
For Krueger, the 76% total from Jersey County is no surprise.
“I thought that it would pass in Jersey County, because the general mood is that most of the state’s priorities lie north of Interstate 80,” he said. Interstate 80 passes through northern Illinois, running east to west just south of Joliet; Chicago and most “Chicagoland” suburbs lie north of the highway.
As for collaborating with other counties, Krueger said the Jersey County Board “had limited contact with Madison County, which was the model for our referendum.” The board decided to put the item on the ballot after a local group began circulating petitions on the topic around Jersey County.
Going forward, Krueger doesn’t expect the referendum will actually lead to the creation of a new state. But he does hope the results from local voters will send a clear message in future discussions.
“As the referendum stated, it gives our county board the approval to talk to other counties about separating from Chicago,” he said. “That probably won't happen - but when we are talking to someone in Springfield or Chicago, we will not be speaking as individuals, but as a representative for 76% of the voters in Jersey County.”
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