FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO) — A new commission in Indiana is exploring the possibility of absorbing rural counties from Illinois into the state.
The Indiana-Illinois Boundary Adjustment Commission was created during the 2025 Indiana legislative session as part of Speaker Todd Huston’s agenda. They held their first meeting on Wednesday, which lasted roughly 90 minutes.
Commission member Don Lehe from White County said he’s skeptical about Illinois counties who want to leave who don’t border Indiana or any other Illinois county who’s voted to leave.
“I assume there’d be an effort to try to make it some type of logical design of which counties go where?” Lehe asked. “It would be impossible to have counties scattered. Has that been an issue or has that been discussed?”
He also brought up the idea of using a system similar to the time zones in Indiana where counties have to be contiguous in order to switch.
The goal is to redraw state boundaries to include conservative, rural counties in Indiana instead of Democrat-dominated Illinois.
The cultural and political divide between rural Illinois and urban Chicago is a driving factor behind the proposal.
While some support the idea for economic reasons, others are skeptical about the practicality and potential impact on schools and finances.
Even if the commission recommends adjusting the border, the Indiana General Assembly has to approve it along with the Illinois Legislature. After that, it must be approved by Congress.
