Indiana is making strides towards an unconventional effort to amend its border by acquiring parts of Illinois. A bill was passed by the Hoosier State’s legislature to establish the Indiana-Illinois Boundary Adjustment Commission, which would determine whether to alter the border between the two states. Indiana Governor Mike Braun, a Republican, plans to sign the bill into law, with a focus on acquiring parts of Illinois that seek to separate from the densely populated and heavily Democratic Chicago area.
While the Indiana government and residents in the affected Illinois counties support the change, it would require approval from the Illinois government and the U.S. Congress to modify state boundaries. The idea has not been well-received by Illinois’ top elected officials, including Democratic Governor J.B. Pritzker, who has called it a “stunt.”
Although there have been at least 50 minor boundary changes between U.S. states in history, no major changes have been made since the Civil War era. The current effort is fueled in part by political divisions between the heavily Democratic Chicago area and the Republican-controlled Indiana government. Similar movements to separate from Democrat-held areas are also taking place in Oregon, where some counties want to join Republican-led Idaho.
Overall, the concept of altering state borders is not unprecedented, but it faces multiple obstacles before coming to fruition. If successful, it would mark a significant change in the political landscape of the affected states.
Source
Note: The image is for illustrative purposes only and is not the original image associated with the presented article. Due to copyright reasons, we are unable to use the original images. However, you can still enjoy the accurate and up-to-date content and information provided.
