Thirteen fed-up counties in liberal Oregon have voted in support of measures to start negotiations to secede from the state and join conservative Idaho.
Crook County became the latest to approve the ‘Greater Idaho Measure’ following a vote on Tuesday.
The proposal seeks to move the Oregon border 200 miles to the west, meaning that 14 counties and several partial counties would fall under Idaho state lines.
Organizers behind the Greater Idaho movement say east Oregonians are being alienated by the state’s progressive policies which they blame for high crime rates.
They claim a move to Idaho would allow residents to take advantage of lower taxation and provide better representation and governance.
More than a dozen fed-up liberal counties in eastern Oregon have voted in support of measures to start negotiations to secede from the state and join conservative Idaho
‘The Oregon/Idaho line was established 163 years ago and is now outdated,’ the movement’s website states.
‘It makes no sense in its current location because it doesn’t match the location of the cultural divide in Oregon.
‘We want an economy that is not held back by Oregon regulations and taxes, including environmental regulations.
‘We’ll still have federal and Idaho regulations, and that’s plenty. Idaho knows how to respect rural counties and their livelihoods.’
Measure 7-86, as it was known, passed by 53 percent in Crook County in the latest boost to the Greater Idaho campaign.
However, the vote is not legislatively binding and just means residents are in favor of informing state and federal representatives that they support negotiations to annex part of Oregon.
‘The voters of eastern Oregon have spoken loudly and clearly about their desire to see border talks move forward,’ Greater Idaho Executive Director Matt McCaw said.
‘With this latest result in Crook County, there’s no excuse left for the Legislature and Governor to continue to ignore the people’s wishes.
The proposal, pictured, seeks to move the Oregon border 200 miles to the west, meaning that 14 counties and several partial counties would fall under Idaho state lines
Organizers behind the Greater Idaho movement say east Oregonians are being alienated by the state’s progressive policies, which they blame for high crime rates
‘We call on the Governor, Speaker of the House, and Senate President to sit down with us and discuss next steps towards changing governance for eastern Oregonians, as well as for the legislature to begin holding hearings on what a potential border change will look like.’
‘For the last three years we’ve been going directly to voters and asking them what they want for their state government,’ President Mike Carter added.
‘What they’re telling us through these votes is that they want their leaders to move the border.
‘In our system, the people are the ones in charge, and it’s time for the leaders representing them to follow through.’
The last time the Oregon state line was moved was 1958, although it was a minor adjustment.
According to NewsNation, a recent poll found that people in Idaho also strongly support the proposal.
Similar schemes have been proposed elsewhere in the country, including in Texas where last year a state senator introduced a bill to allow for a vote on Texit.
Crook County became the 13th to approve the Greater Idaho Measure following a vote on Tuesday
Within the state itself, the wealthy Austin enclave of Lost Creek, saw an overwhelming majority of 91 percent of residents vote to break away from the city during a May 4 election.
Meanwhile, several counties in Illinois have previously voted to move to another state and parts of Colorado have expressed interest in joining Wyoming.
Last year Georgia representative Marjorie Taylor-Green tweeted that the US needed a ‘divorce’ between blue and red states.
