Voters in 11 Illinois counties will decide next week whether to explore separating from Cook County and forming a new state.
Why it matters: The movement to split Illinois in two continues to gain traction, fueled by longstanding political and cultural divisions between Chicago and downstate communities.
By the numbers: Voters in 33 of Illinois’ 102 counties have already approved similar nonbinding referendums.
- If all 11 counties approve the measures on Nov. 3, that number would climb to 44, or 43% of the Illinois counties.
State of play: Eleven of the latest referendums are being organized by Illinois Separation, a group that argues downstate communities have little say in policies largely shaped by Chicago and Cook County…