Representative Government
Policies that serve Chicago and Cook County are not necessarily in the best interests of the rest of the state.
A Constitutional
Path Forward
Leave Illinois without moving.
New Illinois is a nonpartisan nonprofit educating Illinoisans about the constitutional process for pursuing the formation of a new state.
Grassroots. Nonpartisan. Constitutionally focused.
A Constitutional
Path Forward
Leave Illinois without moving.
New Illinois is a nonpartisan nonprofit educating
Illinoisans about the constitutional process for
pursuing the formation of a new state.
Grassroots. Nonpartisan. Constitutionally focused.
A Constitutional
Path Forward
Leave Illinois without moving.
New Illinois is a nonpartisan nonprofit educating Illinoisans about the constitutional process for pursuing the formation of a new state.
Grassroots. Nonpartisan. Constitutionally focused.
A New State—Not a New Country —
New Illinois seeks the formation of a new state within the United States through the process described in Article IV, Section 3 of the Constitution.
Why New Illinois?
Representation
A government responsive to the
communities it serves.
Accountability
A renewed commitment to transparent, responsible leadership.
Opportunity
The possibility of building a more sustainable future.
The Constitutional Process
How Could a New State Be Formed?
This Movement is Built Locally
New Illinois works through residents and county
committees across the state.
"Real change starts with neighbors"
LOCAL PEOPLE
STRONGER
TOMORROWS.
SAME ROOTS
A BRIGHTER
TOMORROW.
LOCAL PEOPLE
STRONGER TOMORROWS.
New Illinois
Leave Illinois. Without Moving.
New Illinois educates Illinois citizens about their right to pursue the formation of a new state from the State of Illinois, following the procedure provided in Article IV, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution.
A nonpartisan educational nonprofit.
Get Involved
Why we seek a state split
Why New Illinois?
We are addressing the longstanding divide between Chicago/Cook County and the rural, small-town and suburban communities in the rest of Illinois. Our concerns are representative government, government corruption and our state’s fiscal mismanagement.
Government Corruption
We believe Illinois’ government corruption and pay-to-play politics have harmed the people government is supposed to represent.
Fiscal Mismanagement
We believe the state’s financial crisis reflects years of fiscal mismanagement that its political leadership has failed to address.
Article IV, Section 3
How Could a New State Be Formed?
We seek to form a new state within the United States. The constitutional process requires the consent of the state legislature and Congress.
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Educate & Organize
Inform Illinois citizens, build support and organize county committees.
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Seek State Legislative Consent
Seek the Illinois General Assembly’s consent to the proposed state split.
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Seek Congressional Approval
Seek congressional approval for admission of the new state into the Union.
Read the documents
View All Resources
Research & Resources
Our Grievances
Read our complaints about representation, elections, legislative practices and violations of individual rights.
Read the GrievancesFinancial Information
Examine New Illinois’s financial reports and budget estimates, including the assumptions behind the figures.
View Financial ReportsStatehood Resources
Explore constitutional sources, legal scholarship and the history of West Virginia’s separation from Virginia.
Explore the Resources
County committees
Find New Illinois
Find New Illinois
in Your County.
Our county committees carry out the mission of New Illinois locally. They help educate residents, hold informational meetings and organize support for a new state.
Contact your county committee to ask about its next meeting and how you can participate.
Interested in helping organize a committee? Let us know below.
Get Involved With New Illinois.
Tell us if you would like to learn more, attend a meeting, volunteer or help organize in your county.
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Support New Illinois
Make a Donation
Help Us Educate Illinois Citizens.
Your donation supports New Illinois’s work to inform residents about the proposed state split and organize support throughout Illinois.
Common Questions
What is New Illinois?
New Illinois is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization educating Illinoisans about their right to pursue the creation of new state separate from the State of Illinois. We are seeking a state split, following the process provided in the U.S. Constitution (Article IV, Sec. 3). Five states in the Union were created through splitting. The circumstances in Illinois can be compared to those that led Maine to split from Massachusetts. There are also similarities to the situation leading West Virginia to split from Virginia.
New Illinois is addressing, not a party divide, but an urban vs rural, small town, and suburban divide. The goal of New Illinois is to see a new state formed that truly represents its rural, small town and suburban residents. We seek a state free from the stranglehold of corruption in Illinois government, which grants disproportionate representation to cronies, favored groups such as public sector unions, and urban areas—in particular, Chicago and Cook County.
Is this Constitutional?
Yes. Article IV, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution provides a process for forming a new state within an existing state. It requires the consent of the Illinois General Assembly and the approval of the U.S. Congress. New Illinois seeks to pursue this constitutional process. U.S. Constitution, Article IV
Would New Illinois remain part of the United States?
Yes. New Illinois is pursuing the formation of a new state within the United States—not separation from the country. If the required approvals were obtained, the new state would be admitted as another state of the Union.
Where would the boundary be?
The boundary has not been finalized. New Illinois envisions including participating counties and communities outside Chicago and urban Cook County. The exact boundary would ultimately have to be established through the legal and legislative approval process.
How long could the process take?
There is no fixed timeline. Forming a new state requires public education, local organization, consent from the Illinois General Assembly and approval from Congress. The process could take years, and approval is not guaranteed.
They explain the organization’s position clearly without overstating what has already been legally decided.
What are New Illinois priorities?
To see a new state created that provides Illinoisans with representative government and to save ourselves from being driven over a financial cliff.
