Should Illinois break away from Cook County? Ballot referendum in Hardin County wants to know

HARDIN COUNTY, Unwell. (KFVS) – Leaders in Hardin County need to know if the remainder of the state ought to break free from Cook dinner County, residence to the town of Chicago.

It’s a query that’s been proposed on the poll in a hand filled with counties throughout the state earlier than, and now it’s on the poll in Hardin county in southern Illinois.

“Illinois has a historical past of regional tensions, regional disputes. It’s type of an endemic a part of our state’s historical past,” mentioned John Shaw, Paul Simon Public Coverage Institute director.

One political analyst mentioned this referendum is political theater.

Shaw mentioned this isn’t the primary time within the state’s historical past {that a} referendum on the poll is trying to type the 51st state.

“Over the many years, it looks as if there’s all the time a motion to both kick Chicago out of Illinois or for different entities to depart Illinois,” he mentioned.

In keeping with the Illinois State Board of Elections, this referendum is simply on the poll in Hardin County.

State Board of Elections leaders say that Hardin County is the second smallest county by registered voters in your entire state.

“I feel elements of Illinois don’t really feel actually related to the complete Illinois political neighborhood and so they don’t know learn how to react, they don’t really feel empowered and they also generally end result in the direction of these type of referendums to form of type of categorical some frustration, however I don’t assume it’s the expectation that it’ll change something,” Shaw mentioned.

In keeping with Loret Newlin, chief of Illinois Separation Referendum, “Voting ‘sure’ doesn’t make the state cut up occur. It’s an evaluation software to seek out out what individuals need. Do they need their native county board or county commissioners to look into the opportunity of separation and forming our personal state, or do they not need them to trying into the chance.”

Newlin mentioned the vote might be used to tell and attempt to persuade elected officers with good information.

In keeping with the State Board of Elections, if this referendum passes with a ‘sure’ vote, nothing will come about.

“I feel it could be mistaken to over interpret it and to assume that it’s an indicator of this large discontent that’s welling up throughout the state,” Shaw mentioned.

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