Indiana considers redrawing border with Illinois

INDIANAPOLIS, In. -- Indiana lawmakers are advancing a plan to potentially redraw the state's border with Illinois, aiming to incorporate some Illinois counties into Indiana.

In 2020, several counties initiated non-binding referendums advocating for Cook County to separate from Illinois. Since then, 33 counties have passed similar votes.

"We understand it's an extreme long shot," said Clay Andrews, commenting on the legislative process. "But this is the first step, and I'm happy to be a part of it."

This past year, both the Illinois and Indiana legislatures introduced bills to form a commission to discuss the potential split. While the measure in Illinois stalled, Indiana's State Boundary Commission is set to meet soon.

The Indiana commission will hold its first meeting in October, with the goal of persuading at least a few Illinois counties to join Indiana.

Governor Pritzker of Illinois has dismissed the proposal as a "stunt that isn't going to happen." There are five open seats on the commission for Illinois representatives, but their appointment by Governor Pritzker remains uncertain.

The initiative to redraw the state border remains in its early stages, with significant hurdles ahead, including the need for support from Illinois and eventual ratification by the United States Congress.

All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by KTVI. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by KTVI staff before being published.